I understand yesterday’s post was a bit sad and scary for some of you, so today I’ll share some highlights from our hike and take a break from the pandemic. Our hike gave us an opportunity to be grateful that a few NC state parks are still open and for our current good health, which allows us to keep hiking.

It was another picture-perfect day with blue skies and sunshine. Haw River State Park provided us a quiet getaway. As soon as we started hiking we saw that the wildflowers were showing off all over the forest…

The birds were vocal, and we took time to listen for a while. Carolina wrens, cardinals, titmice, blue-gray gnatcatchers, red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers, white-throated sparrows, and our first-of-the-season white-eyed vireo were all making music! That was a treat!

I sat awhile and watched a pair of tiny brown and white spiders noodle around their web, which was wrapped around an old dried leaf.

As we walked we noticed that several plants – the bellflowers and mayapples especially – grew in dense colonies in one area, but we’re absent from other areas, perhaps a result of different soil types, plant preferences, sunlight, or other limiting factors.

All in all it was a great hike and a nice way to celebrate the fact that we’re still here, still breathing, and so grateful.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Spread your love.