Crow’s Nest: Spring Status?

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager

Let’s take stock of where we are this April 2. We believe spring will come though we have to look hard to find evidence of it. Though it seems like winter will never end (especially with today’s fresh snow), it’s early yet for a lot of flowers. Our native red maples (Acer rubrum) have been blooming but are not showy until you get very close. Nonetheless, honeybees have been pollinating them for a while now.

Each flower looks like a bouquet.

Alder (Alnus sp.) catkins are also beginning to open; here are the male flowers that release the pollen to the wind. Not exactly showy though; not what you think of when it comes to spring.

Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) flowers have been up for a while now, so that’s three species in flower…

As far as redbud… the photos on our Facebook page the other day (“Spring is Coming!”) were taken on May 6, 2014—so we’ve got a bit more spring to get through first. Right now, that redbud looks like this:

Hang in there, spring will arrive.