We've had another fabulous weather day. By mid-morning the temperature had already soared to 25 degrees, and a strong breeze kept the air in motion and utterly comfortable. Once again, we had a shirt-sleeve ravine ramble. There are still places in the ravine where thick chunks of ice are in evidence.

This, despite that almost overnight foliage on shrubs and trees have struck a green note for freedom from winter bondage. Also overnight, it seems, lilies of the valley have popped through the forest floor, although their flowers will take a little while yet to develop.

Lilies-of-the-Valley foliage

Speaking of flowers, the trilliums that were the earliest to diligently show themselves are now blooming crimson. Trout lilies, because by the time we got to the ravine this afternoon the sky was heavily overcast with rain clouds, were protecting their small yellow flowers, but they're there, in abundance.

Scarlet trilliums

And today was the first day we've seen a Serviceberry tree in full white bloom. Because we took a short cut and bypassed the area where most of those tree specimens appear, we saw only one, but judging from its full floral appearance, they're likely all now in bloom; best to catch the spectacle when you can, because the bloom period is so short.

Foreground stag-horn Sumac, background Serviceberry blooming

All the more so, given the really high winds that have blown throughout the day. At several points the tree tops were clacking wildly, and the wind chugged through them sounding like a freight train; a vulnerable time to be rambling through a forest landscape. Borne out by the fact that when fierce gusts captured the air, some trees, long dead, shed branches to loud applause from surrounding trees.

Flowering dogwood

We knew that as the day wore on the chance of rain showers would increase, and that's just what happened. But because today is house-cleaning day for me, I was busy until three, before we set out on our walk. We wondered whether we'd be able to complete a circuit without getting drenched. A few weeks from now it wouldn't matter so much, since the leafy canopy would be in place. As things are now, with branches and tree tops bare of foliage, there isn't much to shield us from the rain.

We did try clustering ourselves around a large old pine when the first shower began, but conifers don't have the advantage of deciduous in these circumstances. Besides which, it was so balmy and breezy out that we soon dried out, as we continued our walk. And it wasn't until we were almost at the end of the circuit, about to climb the last, long hill to home that there was another rainburst.

This one definitely more emphatic, and though not completely drenched, we were wet by the time we got home.

Nice walk, on a lovely day, though.