I visited the pond in the Allegan Forest last Saturday – a clear, cool, and breezy day with a warm April sun shining. By Sunday morning, though, a chill wind was blowing. Come Sunday evening, a wet snow began to fall and snowflakes the size of silver dollars splatted down from the heavens.

So go the Michigan springs…

By Monday morning, the world was white – several inches of wet snow covered the ground and tree branches were coated with white.

A few days earlier, my neighbor, Bruce, stopped by to ask if I could take some photos of the Kalamazoo River Trail. This new trail links several linear parks in Southwest Michigan. Bruce was hoping that I could get a few shots of the tail with snow on it.

I had appointments Monday morning, and hit the trail around noon. I walked a few miles to the west of town. It was cool, with temperatures in the mid 30’s, and the wet snow was falling off the trees.

Shortly after I crossed under the 131 freeway, I was amazed to hear a chorus of spring peepers singing on this snowy, cold day. I wandered down to two small ponds. The scrubby brush that sprouted out of them was covered with snow, and yet the voices of hundreds of frogs managed to rise above the din of the nearby freeway. Maybe it’s the wet spring, maybe it’s just the year of the frog, but this spring I’ve been running into more frogs than ever before.

The last few days have been cold – evening temps well under freezing, and patches of snow still on the ground. I haven’t been out looking for wildflowers - I suspect that they’ve been beaten back a bit. But they’ll be popping out soon enough, and the weather is expected to get warmer in the next few days.

Here’s another hepatica shot from last week. I hope to have some more new shots soon.