Unfurling bud

Tuesday
We took our exercise today at Long Branch Farm and trails. We were hoping the trails would be dry enough to get to see the herons on their nests. We did make it through, but we did have to do a bit of shallow wading at one spot - thankful for sturdy, waterproof hiking boots! Having reached the closest spot they allow you, there wasn’t much to see. A couple of adults were standing up, but most were bedded down on their nests keeping the eggs warm, and you could sometimes just make out their yellow beak over the edge of the nest! We got talking briefly with a Scottish gentleman and his grandson, who were also there to watch the herons. The grandson, a young teen I would guess, was wearing pale blue sneakers which still looked remarkably clean - as his grandfather said, he’s more agile than us! We then continued along the trails, encountering more mud, but nothing we couldn’t handle!
I just love seeing the different stages of the Buckeye tree buds, and I thought they would work well for Tiny Tuesday. I’ve added a couple of extras showing different stages.