The poem reads like a handful of quick notes jotted down on a walk, each one a small moment of attention. The speaker feels out of place at first: "this foreign land" suggests they are somewhere unfamiliar, and the Norway maple leaves, which seem to be a species from elsewhere, look "ugly" to them. Then a phone photo comes out upside-down, a small mishap that makes the world look odd and unsettled. The plant name "false Solomon's-seal" adds to that feeling, since even the names here are about things not being quite what they seem.
Things shift with "stream-blurred trees come into / sharper focus." Looking at the water, the speaker sees the woods more clearly, which hints at a calmer, more settled way of seeing. The ending is dry and funny: a sign telling people to keep dogs on a leash is "co-signed" by porcupine teeth, perhaps meaning the quills left behind. The mood is quiet, curious and lightly humorous, with nature getting the last word.