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You and me and rain in the woods

By Creature Feature In Critter Corner, Uncategorized

Some days out on the trail are a bit soggy.  The rain doesn’t seem to affect the critters too much, sometimes they even seem to like being out in a light rain. When early spring sneaks up on us, it always amazes me how quickly the trees green up and start getting their tender leaves, seeking the warmth of the earth and the sun.  Nature is almost magical in its transformation each year as we transition through the seasons, spring to summer, summer to fall, and fall to winter, winter to spring and so on.  Each season seems to have its own particular natural magic.  That being said, on one of the earliest days of the start of spring, I was able to catch the mood of the trail in the rain as I went about my early morning routine. For those of you who are familiar with the woods around the VLM, there is a small stream that runs through the forest in the middle section of the outdoor trail.  Here, I’ve taken a photo of the creek as it makes its way down to the lake:

Graceful leaves frame the rainy creek

When one of the more intense bands of rain was making its way through, I paused underneath the boardwalk beside the bobcat’s exhibit to observe:

Boardwalk support crosses underneath the walkway

Here, the bobcat crouches underneath the trees to avoid the rain.  Can you see her?

She’s in there somewhere!

In the deer pasture, one of the does is staying under the gazebo. She’s right beside one of the posts underneath the structure.

This is a nice place to rest

As the rain splashes down onto the trees, the bright green leaves start peeking out on the ends of their branches and frame the boardwalk and trail.

bright green and gray

A little bit later, as I was cleaning in the coyote building, another heavy downpour tumbled down from the sky! The golf cart I use to help with my routine is getting soaked.  Can you see the little robin that’s hopping around looking for breakfast?

It’s wet out there!

And finally, while inside the exhibit cleaning and picking up before the animals go out, I found a gorgeous little violet, one of the earliest flowers that is seen in springtime, that was kissed by the rain:

violet beauty

So even if it’s raining outside, we are still here to take care of the animals and sometimes, even though it’s very wet, it’s really not all that bad, on occasion.