I try to get out at least once a week into the forests of Lyme, NH, where I live. Regular readers see my videos from wildlife cameras placed at undisclosed locations in the woods. Although I enjoy witnessing the secret life of Lyme wildlife, and sharing it with you all, I mostly enjoy the opportunity to wander, off trail, with no particular destination in mind. The month of May adds the opportunity to enjoy small wonders along the way.
Exploring off trail in these mixed hardwood-softwood hillsides, each of which has been well-managed as a working forest (that is, sustainably logged every few decades), gives me an opportunity to be fully present – to depend on my sense of direction, and close observation of my surroundings. I’m not mindlessly following a trail; I’m picking my way carefully through the woods. I’m watching for wildlife sign – pawprints, scat, claw marks on a tree, leaves disturbed by browsing animals, or unusual nook and crannies that may be someone’s home. I’m attentive to seemingly unimportant landmarks – an unusual boulder, a fallen tree, an old stone wall – that help me find my way on repeated visits. These clues show me new opportunities to place my cameras, and help me to find them again on future visits. These observations often provide more questions than answers, as I puzzle through the potential story behind the wildlife signs, and sharpen my ability to ‘read’ the landscape. I have a lot more to learn!
Here are a few of the little things I observed on my outings in May. (Full-res photos in the gallery.)
David Kotz 
Great post. And it’s so true about going off-trail. Of the pictures, I especially liked the ones of the trillium flower and the slug!
The fungus looks like Gyromitra Esculenta, or “brain mushroom”- good thing you didn’t eat it, ingesting leads to death in 4-7 days!