Sproul: Into the Woods, the Woods So Green

The weather took a cooler turn, and we kicked around the idea of going backpacking. But truth be told, with the recent heavy rains, the ground is just totally saturated, and it's still kind of buggy out yet. So we decided to do a day trip into the Sproul State Forest, where everything is green and ferny.

We started out with a nice hot breakfast, packed some sandwiches and drinks, grabbed our boots, chairs, and daysacks, and off we went into the woods of Sproul. We had not been there in several months, and this time we walked into our campsite that we call Pine Glen.

We hung out there for a couple of hours, and T. Tiger was sort of surprised by the whole thing: that we visited our campsite, but didn't take along hardly any of our gear! What sense did that make? And then we packed it up and walked to a small vernal pool we know, in the woods nearby.

This is that pool, and it is as full now as it would be in springtime, due to recent rains. There is amazing amphibian action there in the early part of the year, and I did see some movement on the surface, but I think it was mostly water skippers.

The other part of the story is the amazing display of fungi. Since the woods are so damp, they are EVERYwhere, in every shape and color of the rainbow! I'm not sure I have ever seen so many at this point in the year, anywhere. Current status in Sproul: the woods are green, the ground is soaking wet, and the fungi are plentiful!

Here is a song for something green: Gordon Lightfoot, with Bitter Green.