Everything is flowering in Sunken Forest. This microclimate hosts many native trees and shrubs that the wind keeps attenuated and gnarled in form.
Beach plums, blueberries, raspberries, and chokeberries sport tiny blossoms. Clumps of beach heath with their distinctive yellow flowers are thick between patches of beach grass and Virginia creeper.
Many vines of poison ivy have emerged from the sand with shiny clusters of three green leaves. A few, however, have evolved into bushes sporting bunches of berries that are tempting to the eye. The distinctive purple flower of sweet peas stands out in the dunes.
Unlike other areas of the beach, many birds find resting spots in the undergrowth and the shelter of the tree canopy.
The male and female American holly trees are in bloom, with the males being a bit more showy with tiny flowers. Cherry trees are one of the more common types and now are draped with long, pendulous cream colored flowers. Their scent varies tremendously, ranging from sweet to almost fish like.
We walk back along the beach enjoying the waves and the tiny birds that we interrupt from scavenging crustaceans. A light wind from the ocean cools us walking back. Along the way we spot a skate, stranded on the sand. I toss it back into the waves and it disappears.
