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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Fontainebleau Trail

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Friday morning dawned blue skied and glorious, so Emma and I headed out to walk the Fontainebleau Trail to hunt wildflowers.  The trail winds through the woods and along the Davis Bayou.  Doug, the volunteer coordinator, had told me that this was the time of year that the wild azaleas bloomed.

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What a visual and olfactory treat I was in for!  It was the perfect day to see the azaleas at their peak.

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The bushes were just burgeoning with blossoms.  And the fragrance was intoxicating.

IMG_0011As you can probably imagine, I took a ton of photos.  What a fine walk it was!

59 FountainblueAzaleas weren’t the only things of interest.  In a quiet pool, I enjoyed the emerging fiddleheads of the ferns. 

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Of course, there were more than flowers to look at as we made our way down all the trails.

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This morning, I picked up Fonda to take her to see the azaleas.  She had never walked this refuge trail.  Even though it had only been two days, many of the blooms had passed their peak.  We did find some bushes in the shade that were still looking good.  It’s amazing how quickly the blooms fade.  The fragrance was even more intense this morning.  My guess is because it was overcast and the humidity was skyrocketing without the slightest hint of a breeze.  You just have to be in the right place at the right time.

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Other plants, though, were just beginning their spring flowering.

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Looks like I’ll be needing to hike this trail pretty regularly to catch all the beauty each week.  If you’re ever in this area of Mississippi at the end of March, I heartily recommend taking a walk down these trails.  It’s only a couple of miles, but the scenery is memorable.  Smile

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

18 comments:

  1. Looks like a lovely walk. :)

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  2. what a lovely stroll and great 'flower shots'!!

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  3. I love azaleas. We had them in VA and I do miss their beauty and aroma. Wonderful pictures.

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  4. I always enjoy the colorful flowers & fine fresh Spring aromas. Nice flower pics.....

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  5. When I was looking at those photos I swear I could smell the azaleas. Maybe this computer has smell-o-vision. Thanks for that hint of spring!

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  6. Perfect timing- beautiful shots!

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  7. Beautiful trails...love the fiddleheads!!!

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  8. You got me, Judy! Olfactory(of or relating to the sense of smell) - I didn't have a clue what that word meant so I had to look it up!

    You win today's prize for 'wordisms'.

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  9. Awesome pics -- you are quite the photographer!

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  10. We have an azaelea outside our back door. It isn't wild though. We planted it. The blooms are pretty. That area looks very attractive. Is March April the best weather months? So many of the other areas are still quite cold.

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  11. Well, today I wish you had a smell-a-blog. Nice walk, great pictures...wish I were there!

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  12. Loved the photos. I especially liked the little guy climbing the tree! All the blossoms were beautiful but I couldn't smell a thing...must be this dang cold!

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  13. Thanks for the spring-like photos. It's nice to seeing things blooming. We're still waiting on that up here in NJ, where it was in the 20s this morning.

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  14. Nice photos! I have to say though, of all the magnificent flora and fauna, Emma is my favorite!

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  15. I too love the way emerging ferns roll their heads out. Nature is just like sci-fi, except a million times more clever and beautiful.

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  16. Gorgeous flowers ... nice to see signs of spring.

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  17. Loved all the pictures. I could almost smell the flowers. The little green lizard is like one we saw the other day. Do you know what they are called?

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