4-30 Garlic Mustard, Mouse-ear Chickweed, Canada Violets, Early Low Blueberries

4-30 Along roadsides and in open woods Garlic Mustard is starting to flower.

Gardens, roadsides and agricultutal fields are home to Mouse-ear Chickweed.

Rich woods host Canada violets.

Dry soils in open locations support Early Low Blueberries.

Also seen: Chestnut Sided Warbler and Brown Thrasher. John

4-29 Anemone, Dwarf Ginseng, Two kinds of Violets

4-29 Wood Anemone, AKA Windflower, forms colonies in moist woods.

Dwarf Ginseng can often be found in the same habitat as anemone.

Dog Violets crop up in low woodss and meadows and, in this case, a grassy roadside.

Dry open areas favor Ovate-leaved Violets.

Also seen: Mustard White butterflies and a very pretty Grapevine Epimenis moth. John

4-28 Columbine, Toothwort, Jack-in-the-pulpit

4-28 Rocky woods and ledges are home to Wild Columbine.

Rich woods host toothwort, AKA Crinkleroot.

Moist locations are favored by Jack-in-the-pulpit.

Also seen: Hummingbird. John

4-26 Hobblebush

4-26 The showy sterile outer flowers of Hobblebush ring the much smaller fertile flowers which have as yet not opened. John

4-25 Shadbush, American Fly Honeysuckle

4-25 Heat radiating from a ledgy hillside has prompted a few Shadbush to flower.

In rich moist forest sites American Fly Honeysuckle is well along in its flowering time.

Also seen: Rose-breasted Grosbeak. John

4-24 Norway Maple, Cypress Spurge

4-24 Norway Maple, a Class B noxious weed with "significant invasive potential," has opened its eye-catching yellow flowers. This one is in Brttleboro.

Cypress Spurge, originally from Europe, has escaped to roadsides and other similarily sandy or gravelly habitats. John

4-23 Squirrel Corn, Lesser Celandine

4-23 Tubers that resemble kernels of corn give Squirrel corn its common name.

Lesser Celnadine, a somewhat invasive garden escape, favors damp places, in this case a river bank. John

4-22 Spicebush, Wild Oats

4-22 Spicebush, AKA Wild Allspice or Benjamin Bush, grows in damp woods and along the edge of brooks.

Wild Oats, AKA Sessile-leaved Bellwort, favors woods and thickets. John

4-21 Trailing Arbutus, Tent caterpillars

4-21 The pale pink or white flowers and evergreen leaves of Trailing Arbutus, AKA Mayflower, can be seen in sandy or rocky woods often on steep banks.

Tent caterpillars have hatched and constructed their first sheltering web in anticipation of the leaves that they will eventually consume. John

4-20 Spring finds

4-20 Small-flowered Crowfoot- a buttercup relative - is opening its rather unimpressive flowers.

An occasional Shepherd's Purse has opened its small four petaled blossoms.

Trout Lily, AKA Dogtooth Violet, is putting in an appearance.

And Long-spurred Violets can be found in loamy woods.

Also seen but not positively identified: two varieties of "lawn" violets that were bringing the world their own touches of color. John

4-19 Blue Cohosh, Miterwort, Bumble Bee

4-19 Both Blue Cohosh and Miterwort are opening a few flowers and a Bumble Bee was out and about this morning. John

4-18 Wild Strawberry, Round-leaved Yellow Violets, Bluets, Pennsylvania Sedge

4-18 Wild Strawberries are opening a few flowers.

Round-leaved Yellow Violets can be seen in the woods.

Bluets have opened a single flower in my lawn.

And Pennsylvania Sedge provides its own bit of color in open woodlands. John

4-17 Marsh Marigold

4-17 Marsh Marigold, AKA Cowslip, favors wet places. Each flower of this buttercup relative has from 5 to 9 yellow sepals but no petals.

Also seen: A Ficker anting on my lawn and an Osprey pair in Brattleboro. John

4-15 Hairy Bittercress

4-15 Hairy Bittercress - a once rare escape from nurseries - is becoming ever more common. I find it in cultivated fields and in lawns where the grass grows sparcely. John

4-14 Red Trillium, Spring Beauties

4-14 Red Trillium which has an array of other common names - has opened its first flowers.

Spring Beauties chose today to start brightening the woods.

An Angle-wing butterfly, perhaps a Gray Comma, fed happily on maple sap dripping from sapsucker wells.

Also seen: Belted Kingfisher along the West River. John

4-13 Dutchman's Breeches, Wild Ginger

4-13 Dutchman's Breeches are opening a few flowers despite the cool weather. Also seen: Wild Ginger in a location surveyable only with binoculars. John

4-10 Early Saxifrage

4-10 Sun warmed ledges are home to Early Saxifrage, a hardy native species. John

4-8 Ground Ivy

4-8 Ground Ivy, AKA Gill-o'er-the-ground or Creeping Charlie, is opening a few flowers. This is yet another introduced species. John

4-6 More spring flowers blooming

4-6 Field Pansies, Daphne, Myrtle and Purple Dead Nettle are all opening a few flowers - all four are introduced species that 'escaped.' John

4--4 Signs of Spring

4-4 This morning Bloodroot was opening a few flowers and a Garter Snake was active.

Also seen: Phoebes, a Mourning Cloak butterfly, Dandelions, Painted Turtles and a Woolly Bear caterpillar. Wood Frogs and spring Peepers are sounding off in a local wetland. John