Christmas in April

I must admit to having had strongly conflicting emotions when I found this piece of trash in the woods. When I first saw it from a distance, I had my typical negative emotions towards litter. However, when I caught sight of the picture, I experienced the sudden flush of joy that a child gets when confronted by Christmas. The litter suddenly had value and was no longer trash. With the folded scrap secure in my pack, I carried along a little bit of Christmas on the rest of my walk.

A decorated Christmas tree. Maybe not traditional for Christmas, but a Serviceberry in bloom certainly appears to be adorned with ornaments. The showy white flowers of these small understory trees become quite noticeable in the springtime woodland.

A present under the tree. The Eastern Box Turtles dig in for protection on cool spring nights. It’s not unusual to see them decorated with dried mud picked up from their temporary quarters.

A Christmas plant. Downy Rattlesnake Plantain is one of the most beautiful plants in the woods. The dark green leaves with their white veins are so attractive that it seems a distraction to put a bloom atop the plant.

A Christmas song. Neither a partridge nor a pear tree, but a beautiful song. Field sparrows have taken to the low trees around the field to advertise their claiming of a territory and availability as a mate. The melodious song is one of those good things that comes from a small package.