A Walk in the Woodlands after the Rain.

Here in British Columbia it has been raining for 7-8 days straight. The weather reports says to expect another 7-10 days of rain. When I saw the rain had stopped, even if just for an hour or so, I knew this would be a time to take some images and drove in the dark to Richmond to a small part area that is maybe 3 city blocks square. There was a bit of waiting while the sun came up, and then I walked quickly into the woods in case the clouds totally lifted. I went down the single path that makes its way between the trees and underbrush. There are lot’s of birch trees, but most are dying because the bog has nowhere to flow and being surrounded by streets never really dies out with the change of seasons and the roots just rot our. As they fall in a windstorm some of their white branches can become caught in the web of other branches. In the photos the broken bits look like they are magically floating, refusing to leave the sky.

A Circular Path

These images come from an urban nature centre that has, basically, one path. The path goes from the nature centre to the “bog,” which is mostly wetland, with some trees, now being overwhelmed by domestic blueberries. Every year the walls of this pathway, which in many places crowd in around you and stand several feet tall, are generally impenetrable. Here and there, are a few animal trails, very low and very dark. The walls are trimmed back each fall and in the spring new green growth peeks through here and there. Sometimes like a few misplaced hairs, sometimes tendrils that have a menacing look to them. The images are too full of detail, making them as impossible to understand as the walls are to penetrate. These images are part of a set collected at several similar sites over the past five years.

The Pathway Fills with Water

The pathways in the woodland run through a boggy area where it becomes hard to follow a clear plan.

Along the Creek in the Industrial Park.