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

8-27 Northern Walking Stick

8-27 This male Northern Walking Stick clung motionless on a locust tree today. John

8-26 Umbrella-wort

8-26 Umbrella-wort, AKA Four O'clock, is a western species that turns up occasionally in Vermont. John

8-25 Prostrate Vervain

8-25 Dry, waste places are home to Prostrate, AKA Large-bracted, Vervain a more southerly species only rarely found in Vermont. This occurrence was in Rockingham. John

8-24 Panicled Aster

8-24 Panicled, AKA Lance-leaved, Asters grace fields, pastures and roadsides. There are 37 aster species listed in the Flora of Vermont. John

8-23 American Pennyroyal

8-23 Fields and dry woods are home to American Pannyroyal. Bruised leaves of this mint family member smell strongly of oil of pennyroyal. John

8-22 Beggar-ticks

8-22 The rayless flowers of Beggar-Ticks are surrounded by numerous leaf-like bracts. John

8-21 Slender Gerardia, Monarch

8-21 Slender Purple Gerardia, AKA False Foxglove, has opened the first of its flowers. Look for it on river banks and in damp meadows.

Of the dozen Monarch caterpillars hatched on our milkweeds only the three that were container raised survived.