This is  magical time in the Rhode Island woods. The trees haven’t leafed out, but there’s a greenness to everything – the skunk cabbage, the mosses, the leaf buds. Without the leaves, the sunlight is sharp and intense, but this woodland spring doesn’t last long. Soon the leaves will be shading the forest floor and the light will settle into a more mellow, summer vibe.

I have just finished reading “The Signature of All Things,” about a woman who studied mosses. I can see how you could be drawn into that tiny green universe.  This was a huge patch, spreading across a very large rock.

It’s never to early in the season for a dip in a pond. This is Hidden Lake, on the Yawgoog Scout Reservation,  one of my favorite spots in the entire state.

This stream flows out of Hidden Lake.

A final look at the forest floor before the understory plants leaf out. Won’t be long now.