Look what I found...

More signs of spring! Ornamentals and natives alike are beginning to bloom in earnest. Here's my token ornamental, a very sweetly fragrant pink somethingorother blooming before it puts out its leaves.

Red alder catkins are dropping in the wind, red sharply contrasting with mud brown and vibrant grass green.
Indian plum, the plant that has always baffled me, blooms now, earlier than any other shrub. The delicate little white petals causing a double take in the otherwise flowerless forest, and dropping away at the slightest touch.
Then of course there's good old skunk cabbage, brilliant against the grey landscape, and in this instance, mud splattered by raindrops flinging sediment into the air.

 With the recent wet spell still more mushrooms arrive. The creamy yellow one I've seen before, and can be much more vibrant. Questionable stropharia (Stropharia ambigua), though I'm not sure whats questionable about it. Its not edible by the way. Just so you know.

Witch's butter  (Tremella mesenterica), on the other hand is, but supposedly is bland. Thats the gooey stuff to the left. You see it all over, and it ranges in the color spectrum from this sort of lemon yellow to carrot orange.

Dear Leonie,
Maybe if you walk along the creek in the evening you'll see some raccoons. Saw a whole mess of prints while carefully sliding through the mud to stare at skunk cabbage. Then saw this critter and its mom later, the suburban forest deer.

 This little creek was gushing along, deepened by recent rainfall. During the summer it dries to a little trickle with pools under gnarled overhanging roots where one can chase water striders (jesus bugs, whatever your term for them is) for hours.
Below is what it looks like in the summer. Funny how the world changes when trees regain their leaves.

Tootles, have a simply splendid Friday and ensuing weekend!