white violets

Returning from a cloudy day ramble I discovered these little stars blooming in a long swath beneath the trees near the pond.

Finding gifts like these are the biggest reward on one of my unplanned walks. 

Other surprises were a crushed goose egg, probably from the Canadian geese attempting to nest on a island in the pond, a singing common yellowthroat in the cat tail rushes, and a ghost like visit from the grey male harrier as he swooped down to flush killdeer from the field.

A brief rainbow was a perfect end to a walk that started off overcast and without much promise.