Happy Nowruz if you celebrate. It's Iranian, but not much to celebrate there this year. Still marking it in the hope that its concept -- a new day, an end to cold and darkness -- comes true there. Everywhere, really.
Yesterday's walk, finally the wind dropped enough, yielded all kinds of spring. The flock of mourning doves, until last week flying in a group, were flying in pairs. I heard the shouts of the redwing blackbird, and the hammering of woodpeckers.
And I saw this
Beautiful crust type lichen, like red gold hair shining in the sun, spread over the downed tree. My searches have not yielded a name for it beyond red lichen (!).
But the State University website yielded this valuable information. See the end.
I took the pictures to preserve as much as I could of the tree trunk in case that helps identify it. Can anyone help?
On the way home here's a cheerful little sign of spring
And I came home to afternoon tea with toasted cinnamon soda bread
