Winter is long in upstate New York because of the cooling caused by the water mass of the Great Lakes. This year they froze, so there was no lake effect late in winter, but the melting process has left the air very cold. It is April 25th and the apricots are just now starting to come out. These were the earliest little flowers we found in the Grove, around April 7th, 2008.
The brush turns green before the sap reaches the top of the towering old trees.
Elder James, at 6'4", is dwarfed by this American Beech tree, a "Witness Tree" that would have been alive at the time Joseph Smith had his vision.
Some of the Witness Trees have Department of Agriculture markers verifying their great age. These often cannot be seen in summer as they are covered over with growth.
Looking through the center of the Grove one sees mostly the remnants of last fall's leaves and very little else. This photo was taken April 7th, 2008.
By April 21, the tips of some of the trees were turning green, in contrast to the previous picture.
Undergrowth by April 21st is starting to pop through the dead leaves in a variety of shades of green.
This fallen tree has provided shelter for small animals all during the winter and will shelter others during the summer. Fungi and lichen are starting to grow again in the wood. When the grove was "groomed" and all downed timber was removed, there was very little wildlife. The new forest management plan has made it a welcome habitat for many birds and animals.
One tree in the field that once was the bus parking lot has green on the tip of every branch. Spring is coming at last! But of course, if there are no leaves there is little shade, so the poetic license taken by the composer of "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" doesn't mesh with the reality of April in Palmyra. However, in any season the Grove is a special place to walk and meditate.
Winter is long in upstate New York because of the cooling caused by the water mass of the Great Lakes. This year they froze, so there was no lake effect late in winter, but the melting process has left the air very cold. It is April 25th and the apricots are just now starting to come out. These were the earliest little flowers we found in the Grove, around April 7th, 2008.
The brush turns green before the sap reaches the top of the towering old trees. 
Elder James, at 6'4", is dwarfed by this American Beech tree, a "Witness Tree" that would have been alive at the time Joseph Smith had his vision.
Some of the Witness Trees have Department of Agriculture markers verifying their great age. These often cannot be seen in summer as they are covered over with growth. 
Looking through the center of the Grove one sees mostly the remnants of last fall's leaves and very little else. This photo was taken April 7th, 2008.
By April 21, the tips of some of the trees were turning green, in contrast to the previous picture.
Undergrowth by April 21st is starting to pop through the dead leaves in a variety of shades of green.
This fallen tree has provided shelter for small animals all during the winter and will shelter others during the summer. Fungi and lichen are starting to grow again in the wood. When the grove was "groomed" and all downed timber was removed, there was very little wildlife. The new forest management plan has made it a welcome habitat for many birds and animals.
One tree in the field that once was the bus parking lot has green on the tip of every branch. Spring is coming at last! But of course, if there are no leaves there is little shade, so the poetic license taken by the composer of "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" doesn't mesh with the reality of April in Palmyra. However, in any season the Grove is a special place to walk and meditate.
1 comment:
I am trying to find a poem that I read years ago about the witness trees in the sacred grove. Does that ring a bell? If so, how can I get my hands on it?
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