A Surprise in the March Woodlands

It happens often enough, but I have never caught one in the act before. It was quite a surprise, and I will tell you about it at the end of this post. The March woodlands are filled with busy creatures and fresh foliage and pretty blooms as the world sheds its worn out winter garments and puts on spring finery. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to visit, when the light transforms the mood to something close to magical. Here's a quick tour, with all photos taken within the past few days.

Dogwoods were at their peak bloom this week:

A few other flowers in the woodland garden:
Clockwise from top left: Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection'; Native Silene virginica, commonly called Fire pink; the last of the daffodils blooming in my garden; Trillium, another native.

I have to admit, this part of the woods looks snaky:

And here's the surprise I promised. Look at the following photos and you will see a snake shedding its skin. Only a portion of its mid section is visible. The tail of the snake is in a hole, and its front is under a shrub. It is using the friction of the hole's edge to pull off the skin. Too bad I don't have a view of the front of the snake. I was tempted to lie on my belly and poke the camera under the shrub to get a view of its head, but sanity prevailed. I returned the next day to find the skin, but the last shot shows all that remained were a few pieces near the hole. Apparently, something ate the rest of it!

The snake had the right idea. With a new season and warmer weather, it's time for some new clothes!