Joyspotting #9

On this day in 1900, L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz destined, of course, to become a literary classic.  No yellow brick road, the path through our clough is a decidedly drab brown, but the magic was just as powerful as that of the mighty Wizard in Oz.  

I’ve not used the Joyspotting guide in ages so I decided to take it along today.  The Cobourg Creek ecosystem is relatively limited so I had to take some creative license with my labelling.  Cheers!  

Look Up!

I almost missed this beauty, would have without the prompt to look up in front of me.

Look Down!

Um… Dab-smack in the middle of the path (which isn’t wide to begin with) is this man-made crater. Fire pit? S’mores anyone?

Keep an eye out for colour.

Follow the curve.

Go where the wild things are.

The only wild things I spotted today were minnows in the creek and a spectacularly beautiful Common Tern (why was he here???) who I, most inadvertently, frightened off.

Seek out symmetry.

Search for signs of abundance.

Garlic Mustard is in bloom everywhere I looked today. Beyond abundant.

Watch for weirdness.

Coltsfoot beside Field Horsetail. What are the odds? Mother Nature has a keen sense of humour. (Just me?)

Zoom in.

Yellow Rocketcress

Notice the invisible.

This tree cracked in half during the catastrophic wind storm of 16th November 2020. It looks dead, but no… On the very top branches there is a smattering of buds and some new growth.

Take the scenic route.

Use all your senses.

Throughout the clough there is a strong aroma of herbs, a bit peppery, perhaps. That, combined with the smell of new growth was pretty heady stuff, I promise you!

It was a glorious spring day here in Cobourg, bliss to be out enjoying it. I hope your day was every bit as lovely!

‘Til next time, y’all…