We were at Kroger on Sunday. The “Easter Bunny” was available for portraits with small children. However, inside the bunny costume, it’s very hot. So, in between pictures with wee ones, the bunny takes off for the big florist cooler in the store and hangs out with the cut flowers for a bit. Bob asked the bunny how it was in the cooler and got a big thumbs up – which right away tells you it’s not a real bunny, because of the whole opposable thumb thing.
We also went to Brukner Nature Center. The wildflowers that come out before the tree canopy are in full bloom. We saw white and red trilliums, three different violets, spring beauties, rue anemones, trout lilies, Virginia bluebells, jacks in the pulpit (or is that jack in the pulpits?), toothworts, Dutchman’s breeches, what looked like an eastern version of buttercups (don’t know what they call them), and some big yellow things that definitely look like they’re in the poppy family. I need an eastern wildflower guide!
There are bird watching places at Brukner, too, where we saw American goldfinches, purple finches, house finches, chickadees (don’t know which one), red-bellied woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, mourning doves, downy woodpeckers, and the ever-present starlings. It was at Brukner a few summers ago that we saw an indigo bunting. Absolutely the bluest bird I ever saw.
Rain is predicted for the next few days, so it was good we got to hike around Brukner on a nice day. The eastern redbuds are just about to pop – the same trees we saw in Oklahoma, where they were already in bloom. Very pretty. If we get a decent day soon, we’ll take pictures of the Ohio version.
