Take a Break

If you force yourself to sit down and relax for awhile when hiking, you're more likely to take notice of the plants, animals, and rocks along the trail. Today on Shelton's Bridge-to-Bridge Hike I took a good break at the powerlines (long enough for my puppy to fall asleep on a bed of moss).

After a bit I suddenly noticed the birds twittering in the small tree nearby. They were making quite a commotion so I finally got up to take a look. It turned out to be a couple of fledgling birds out of the nest and singing for their parents. An adult chickadee flew in so that's probably what they were.

Then I noticed some tiny blue flowers along the trail, only about 1/4 inch long and about a foot high. Very easy to miss if you are walking fast. These are Blue Toadflax (Linari canadensis) and they are native to Connecticut in dry, sandy areas such as roadsides.

Here's one of the many species of Hawkweed, most of which are not native to North America. Another roadside species.

So take a break when hiking. You never know what you'll see.