I love walking in the woods this time of year. Yes on the surface it looks bleak and dreary.
Not a lot of green, the trees have lost their green and the sky is overcast.
Once you get into the woods on a trail, you notice there’s still a bit of green going on. There are not a lot of pine trees, but there are tons of Mountain Laurel. Mountain Laurel happens to be our state flower and as such it is protected. There are hefty fines if you are caught picking Mountain Laurel.
Follow us, we’ll lead you through the Mountain Laurel.
Sadly a lot of the Mountain Laurel in the area has been hit with some kind of fungus. You probably can’t see it from the pictures but the leaves are all speckled with brown spots.
Before I started walking in these woods I didn’t realize that Mountain Laurel retain their leaves throughout the winter. But they do.
SO WHY with the bleakness, and the spotted Mountain Laurel do I like walking in the woods this time of year?
Simple.
Even with the Mountain Laurel retaining their leaves, you can still see ahead to watch for other people and dogs.
Shit, there’s an off-leash dog! Oh wait…that’s my dog.
Besides, not a lot of people walk their dogs around here in the winter. They must think dogs don’t need exercise in the winter, either that or they’re wimps.
Considering the dumb ass dog owners in my neighborhood I think either theory works. What do you think?
Next week our Barks and Bytes hop falls on Christmas Day. Linda and I realize people are busy with family and traditions, so we invite you to add a holiday wish, tradition, memory or greeting and link it up to the special Christmas edition of Barks and Bytes. We’ve made a button especially for this occasion. Of course, if you have a traditional blog post, feel free to add that as well.
A Special Christmas Barks and Bytes
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Today’s trivia question is hosted by Dogthusiast, you can click HERE for the trivia questions and click the image to go directly to Kol’s Notes.
I love walking the dogs in the forest in winter!! It’s so quiet and awesome!!
I have to say I do enjoying walking in the woods in winter, although not at night. I hate walking alone in the dark at night!!
Visibility far ahead is always a plus. Especially in your neighborhood. Can’t be too careful.
Good reason to love the walks this time of year
retro rover
Hi Y’all!
Merry Christmas to y’all!
My guess, going by my own Human…more people aren’t walkin’ ’cause they’re wimps. If my Human is out in the wind for even a little bit, she ends up with a sick sinus headache. Even in summer, if it’s windy, we don’t walk far.
My Human is going to be very sad to hear about the laurel and the fungus. Mountain laurel grow wild in our mountains. The rocks behind our house in the high country are peppered with young laurel. More mature laurel are at the top of the ridge. Rhododendrons also grown wild at higher elevations.
Merry Christmas,
Hawk aka BrownDog
What, busy on Christmas? Don’t all bloggers stay home alone in a dark room with their computers and blog all day??? We may just join in next Thursday 🙂 Around here, hardly anyone walks their dog in the winter, we are the weird ones out in any weather, every day of the year. Come spring they all come out of the woodwork, nice and plump wondering what happened and why they are all so out of shape.
I will go with wimps because that is us. We don’t walk much in winter. Oh wait we don’t walk much in summer either, or spring, or fall….lol. We are starting back to training so that will keep us busy.
We agree….best this time of year as only serious dog walkers/owners around. Have a tremendous Thursday.
Best wishes Molly
The woods are great all year long.
I suspect they are wimps.
One of the reasons I love walking in the desert is because it is always pretty easy to see from a distance if someone is approaching us. I’m not really sure how I would do with regular forest-y walks. I once drove up north to a forest to walk my foster dog and I have to tell you, I was really unnerved by the whole experience. You can’t see more than 10 feet ahead of you with all those dang trees! And I went up there on a weekday, when it was super cold and snow was on the ground and we were the only ones out there…that is, until the shady looking guy on a motorcycle pulled in and was wandering around. I’m pretty sure he just stopped to use the little restroom facility, but you never know. All of the movies, TV shows, and books I’ve ever read about victims in the forest came to mind.
I always scan your forest pictures for some guy lurking in the background. Hehehehe
So sad about the mountain laurel fungus. Is there some kind of spray that can control it? Would ordinary citizens get in trouble if they tried to control it? It is so pretty and welcoming in the winter I would hope something can be done.
Being OUTSIDE with our peeps is always super grrrreat… butt in the WOODS with them, would be Wonderful.
Woodland walks are my favorites, I could live in a cabin nestled in the woods for the rest of my life and be totally happy – and discover something new every day. Winter is my favorite time to walk in the woods (especially during or after a snowfall) because the lack of greenery exposes so many interesting things in nature that we can’t see during summer. That and the fact that there are no mosquitoes and very few ticks! Have a happy holiday season!
I have two memories of Mountain Laurel from when I was younger, and lived in Massachusetts. The first is from when I was a child, and we often went to our favorite lake, Laurel Lake, and hiked on the trails lined with the Mt. Laurel.
The other is that my hubby’s mother and sister always decorated their houses with laurel at Christmas, so I remember that it stayed green (it must not have been protected back then).
I love the woods in winter, nothing like a walk to clear the mind and stay cheerful. The best part is fewer skateboarders to freak Fozzie out.
I love mountain laurel! There is lots of it around here but I have not noticed the fungus. Mountain laurel seems very resilient–I’ll bet it will evolve and kick that fungus’ butt (because sometimes my optimism defies all reason).
Hi Jodi. I think your winter walks in the woods look awesome. Your photos bring back nostalgic memories for me of my childhood growing up in Vermont. It is very peaceful and rejuvenating to walk in the quietness of the forest. I’m a little envious! Have a wonderful holiday!
There is so much to be seen even in the winter! We are encountering some pretty special stuff on our brisk walks each day this season! People who don’t walk their dogs in the winter probably are BOTH: wimps/ can’t handle it for whatever reason, AND tell themselves that dogs don’t need to go out for walkies when it’s cold. Glad my folks know that’s not true! *wags* – Gilligan from wagsahoy.com
Mom loves those white birch trees
Lily & Edward
No winter here, it’s the monsoon season. The rainforests are a car ride away but sometimes dogs are not allowed on the trails – – so it’s parks and urban walks for us. We are wimps, we don’t really walk in the rain HAHAHA!
YES! I love winter walks because the changes of encountering another dog are so slim. I feel like I can let my guard down a little bit when I’m with Lucas and Cooper. (I also like walking them in the rain for that very same reason!)
Chances. Not changes. Friday…
I saw both if they are like me! Didn’t know what Mountain Laurel was thanks for sharing.