fbpx

Crow’s Nest: Bloom update

April 19, 2014

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager

What a difference a week makes! Last week we had red maples blooming, plus some alder catkins and skunk cabbage was finishing blooming and beginning to leaf out.

A day later we added spicebush and bloodroot. The bloodroot flowers have been abundant this year, though the two nights of hard frost and snow did rumple them, so they didn’t stay showy. I have seen wood anemone and our Educator, Molly has reported seeing spring beauties (Claytonia virginica). We found this willow in bloom too.

photos from Garner addition to Crow's Nest

In the next couple days the shadbush will be out, and then, who knows? Trout lily foliage is up so the flowers won’t be long; Solomon’s seal is unfurling.

This morning it is paradise at the preserve. While I walked with the dog (on leash, of course) I saw four wood ducks on French Creek, a red-headed woodpecker (they seem quieter now but they’re still here), heard the gobble of turkeys, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of early spring.