Spring Break (SWF)

Against a blue sky, scarlet blossoms,
so lush and heavy on their long stems,
it seemed the bough would break beneath them,
or tip the tall tree forward, yet further, from where it hung,
an umbrella poised for picnickers to the sandy beach below.



Where shells of all shapes and sizes,
bleached by the sun and carried by storms,
were tucked into pockets and held for safekeeping
apart from the water’s edge.




So that on this day,
wrapped in the warmth of an afternoon sun,
I might stare inside their tiny spirals
and disappear into their desert island.

The shore of Stillwater River
A tiny paradise in the middle of southwestern Ohio

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Shades of Indigo

Scilla sp.

Deep Blue blooming

If a day were to be remembered in color,
I would tag this day, Indigo.

Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias

By the time we reached the lake at Englewood, the morning clouds had all but passed, a brilliant blue we’d long been promised, today, a sure thing. Across the broad, open water, several tall silhouetted forms stood out—slowly stepping and stalking between the islands—the Great Blue Herons that enjoy this shallow, silt-filled reservoir and all the frogs and small fish filling its boundaries.
Conservancy Lake, only several feet deep, is a large wetland area that fills when Stillwater Creek overflows onto the formerly farmed fields bordering its path. Becoming naturally shallower each year, as deposits are carried and left by rising waters, this basin hosts many wading and dipping waterfowl and large jumping fish that swirl at the edge of the mudflats, churning below the surface.

Green-winged Teals, Anas crecca, feeding with Mallards

Common Merganser, Mergus merganser

Flock of Northern Shovelers, Anas clypeata
(in distance, behind geese)

From across the water where Green-winged Teals cluster near an edge of brushy growth, Canada geese honk and defend territories claimed for this season’s nesting. Dark lumps rest in the sunshine, safely hidden against the brown earth of an island. A Common Merganser, dipping and diving for small fish, popping up haphazardly with his brilliant red bill, weaves his way past, as careless needle strokes through blue fabric, while we watch from the bank above. Beyond the island, flocks of Northern Shovelers dip and bob, their large, green heads shining, rusty sides, dark against the white of their bodies.
Many birds love this lake.

Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors,
dabbling with Mallards

At the other end, in a quiet corner where Leopard frogs are calling from submerged logs, a smaller group is dabbling. Against the smooth blue and brown reflection, with barely the depth to cover exposed roots in this secluded overflow, just one of his kind, head-down more than above water—a Blue-winged Teal, the striking white crescent marking his face, as he moves slowly with this group of Mallards, feeding here.


And I, not normally the bench-sitter, found one too difficult to resist,
and sat, looking out over the many shades of indigo.

Still Water of Conservancy Lake

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