we think of fall as the time when all the green of summer turns color and falls to the ground. here is a little reminder that each spring there is a less visible fall. when the spores of ferns and mosses and mushrooms drop like microscopic patatroopers drifting with the wind, under orders to conquer and colonize the countries where they land.

fern spores

from my yard, saint paul, minnesota

my spring walks are mostly solitary, although i have patches of secret fan clubs, where the green hands of meadow rue wave to me as i pass. i always try to wave back.

meadow rue leaves

sucker lake regional trail, saint paul, minnesota

is there any way to confuse what’s going on with these box elder seed pods with anything other than procreation?

boxelder seeds in may

sucker lake regional trail, saint paul, minnesota

we haven’t hosted a party in over a year, and suddenly we are going to be party hosts two weekends in a row. last weekend it was the wine tasting for our french friends, which was lovely but exhausting. this next weekend we are hosting the after prom party, which should be unlovely and exhausting. i have just been informed that it will begin, not end but begin, at midnight, and that parental circulation among the revelers will be tolerated but discouraged. meanwhile we will be responsible for twenty hormonal high schoolers, and answerable to their parents. i’m officially ready to resume my daily walk with one single neurotic dog for company.

a handful of my front yard: lily, fern, virginia creeper, hosta, clover, daffodil

saint paul, minnesota

all this elm does all day is drink, absorb nutrients, and spill its seed. must be a male of the species.

elm limb loaded with seeds

rice creek regional trail, saint paul,  minnesota