Swamped

I am overflowing with work, and under the weather to boot. While I strive to keep my head above water, please enjoy these images taken by TAD in Everett, Washington, used with permission for Arboreality.

What you see here are the skunk cabbage I grew up with in the forest wetlands of Western Washington. We first saw skunk cabbage at Arboreality when we explored the local forest and springs here in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments, and for visiting Arboreality!

Also, thank you TAD for the use of your pictures, and for the much welcome glimpse of Washington.

Sunset in the forest

Maybe I can’t go wandering around in depths of the neighbor's forest again, but that doesn’t mean I can’t go up to the edge at the back corner of the springhouse, right?

Last night we had a wonderful five minute rain that started around 5 or 6 pm. It was given to us by a big, beautiful, purple-grey cloud that covered the farm, poured out its bounty, and floated happily on its way. PAL said that he saw rainbows in his part of town!

I made my way along the south side of the hedge towards the back of the springhouse. Now that I knew what I was looking for, it was relatively easy to navigate my way back to where I ended my journey last week.

The sunlight beamed between the wet trees, illuminating the small spring like a silver thread through the swamp plants. With everything freshly dampened, the forest smelled rich and full of life! While I never see them during the day, I know I can hear frogs down here at night (they appear to squeak more than they croak).

The old spring house

My journey through the neighboring woods came to an unexpected halt when I realized that I was on the wrong side of the “No Trespassing Sign.” Apparently, a deer trail is no indication of property rights.

As I now understand it, after discussing things with my landlady, the farm property ends just a couple feet beyond the old spring house (which means that I was likely out-of-bounds even while snapping the top image).

After a wonderfully fun exploration of the forest, I have realized that until I meet the owners of the neighboring property and ask permission, I likely will not be able to explore this area again. Trespassing is not cool, no matter how beautiful the trees.

So, upon realizing that the “No Trespassing Sign” was located just beyond the spring house, I promptly hopped through the mud to the spring house, which is where we too shall end our week-long journey.


Typically I approach the spring house from the hedge, which means that the first thing I see are the small stone steps leading up to a loft, and the rotted-out doors covering what was once some type of motor, possibly a generator.

The old spring house was obviously once an important part of the farm. I’m still trying to learn just how it worked and what it did.


The big “trough” you see which is currently filled with stagnant water has a hole at the bottom of the stone, which indicates how the water flows into and then back out of the spring house.


As we continue to explore the trees and other flora, let us remember the important relationships shared between the land, its many creatures, and the ever-moving water systems above, below, and along the ground.

Reflections on the spring

Perhaps Barbara is right… maybe these pictures do not require any words at all.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Attention my French Friends!

For my English-speaking visitors: the note below is a clarification for my French-speaking visitors on the word spring, which the Google translator incorrectly translates as a French word for “arises.”

For all those who speak other languages: you are always welcome at Arboreality of course, but for now, all I know are English, and a small smattering of French.

Since you’re here, please enjoy the pictures, and return tomorrow for more adventures in the woods!

I had to make this into an image so Google wouldn't try to translate it! Please excuse my basic (and possibly incorrect) French: