"The Woods Are Lovely...."

     "The woods are lovely, dark and deep..."
                                 R. Frost
               
    Frost was in the woods in the winter, I know, but these  words  describe the woods in spring and summer too.

    I love walking into a heavily shaded section along a wooded path and feeling the temperature drop and the silence deepen softly where little rays of sun occasionally seep through to the floor of the woods. But darkness pervades and offers respite from the sun and heat.

  Ferns carpet the floor , under an umbrella of green leaves, the silence broken by the occasional woodpecker calling it's mate.  The understory is gently covered with tiny wild flowers, shyly spreading in all directions.

   Today the woodland path I take is permeated with the heady odor of wild roses, probably escapees from some long forgotten garden.  It is a very warm day and this makes the scent almost overwhelming.  The entire landscape is covered with small white flowers which will turn to rose hips once the flowers have faded.

















Eventually, I pass the sunny spot where wild flowers, like red clover, plantain and mugwort grow uninhibited by lawnmower, or weeder.  I notice several "useful herbs" among the vegetation and wonder if perhaps someday, a cure for many of our killing diseases might be found in these plants that most people refer to as weeds.

A walk in the woods is never complete until one finds a brook or stream or a tiny lake.  The water provides a growing spot for the tall reeds where the red-winged black birds love to nest and play. Today the yellow flag, a wild iris that grows in the shallows, is in full bloom and the swans and snowy egret and the geese all vie for attention.

  Heading  home, I walk through my suburban neighborhood and  pretend that all the gardens I pass are part of my "estate."  After all, if I can see them, I can enjoy them.   I love the flowers on this Kousa Dogwood, a small tree I covet but have no room for in my yard.

Eight reasons I walk in the woods:  to exercise, to meditate, to take photos, to observe nature, to offer thanks to the Creator, to visit with a friend, to enjoy silence and to bird-watch.

Do you walk in the woods?  Why?