A quiet night

Today’s photo is the bloom of a mayapple, of which I have millions around the cabin. Okay, perhaps not millions, but really a lot. As the flowers are under the umbrella-like leaves, I have to get down on the ground, all the while avoiding the ubiquitous poison ivy (also seen here), to photograph these lovely flowers. The umbrella leaves are so thick that the flowers are easy to miss, which is a shame, as they are the equal of any hothouse flower sold in the local nurseries.

Last night it was a quiet as the grave around the cabin, which immediately makes me suspicious. Even after dark, night noises are the norm, and when I can’t hear any sound I know something is up. The mostly likely explanation is a predator that is hidden by the dark. Often, like last night, I never find out what is going on, but I’ve learned over the years that when the woods are silent, it is time to pay extra attention when I am outside.

When the woods are quiet, I tend not to wander far from the cabin in the dark, as I sometimes do on other nights. Perhaps that is an over abundance of caution, but so be it. Paying attention to the ebb and flow of life in the woods hasn’t steered me wrong yet, and I’m not going to start to ignore the signs now. If I start ignoring the signs when it’s likely nothing important, I may accidentally ignore something that is important. So I pay attention.