4-30

4-30
Common Fleabane AKA Philadelphia Fleabane is starting to flower. Its soft hairy stem and toothed clasping leaves make it easy to identify.
John

4-29

4-29
Goldthread is a delicate plant of moist conifer forests. Its dark green leaves are divided into 3 toothed leaflets. The flower's yellow stamens are sterile, its paler stamens fertile. The threadlike root of this plant is golden yellow, thus the common name.
John

4-28

4-28
The solitary nodding flowers of Wild Columbine can be seen on rocky cliffs, ledges and in dry woods. The deep spurred flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds.
Elongated terminal recemes of tiny 4 petaled flowers are opening on Thyme-leaved Speedwell, one of many Speedwells that can be found in this area.
Wood anemone AKA Windflower is just  starting to flower. It is either white or pink.
And Blueberries - perhaps Early Lowbush Blueberries - are also in flower.
John

Wild Columbine

Thyme-leaved Speedwell

Wood Anemone

Lowbush Blueberries

4-27

4-27
Foam Flower, Dwarf Ginseng and Red-berried Elder were all in flower today. Some Honeysuckles - not shown - were also open.
John

Dwarf Ginseng

Red-berried Elder

Foam Flower

4-26

4-26
A Ruffed Grouse - AKA Partridge - can be hard to see although in plain sight. This one was in a roadside thicket.
John

4-25

4-25
In warmer spots Garlic Mustard is starting to flower. This invasive should be pulled before it sets seeds. It pulls easily after rain softens the ground.
Garden Currants that have escaped to woods and thickets are also in flower. Currants and Gooseberries are vectors in the cycle of White Pine Blister Rust which kills many pine trees.
John

Garlic Mustard

Currants

4-24

4-24
Viola pallens, the Northern White Violet, is in flower. These are tiny little woodland flowers.
And Claytonia caroliniana, the Carolina Spring -beauty, is carpeting rich woodlands. A very similar species, Claytonia virginica, Virginia Spring-beauty is also known to grow in Vermont. It has much narrower leaves … and … so far … it has eluded me. I'll keep looking!
John

Northern White Violets

Spring-beauty

Spring-beauty

4-23

4-23
Among the plants flowering are Smooth Yellow Violets, Miterwort, Toothwort, Squirrel Corn, Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Lesser Celandine.
Lesser Celandine is a garden escape that I find in Brattleboro but have yet to locate in Dummerston.
And an adult Bald Eagle was fishing along the West River this morning.
John

Smooth Yellow Violets

Miterwort

Toothwort

Squirrel Corn

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Lesser Celandine

Bald Eagle

4-22

4-22
Cyprus Spurge and Wild Oats are in flower as is Hobblebush. The huge showy outer flowers of hobblebush are 'neutral.' They have no stamens or pistils. The smaller as yet unopened center flowers will be fertile.
There was a Palm Warbler in our yard this afternoon and Ed Anthes reported an Osprey along the West River!
John

Cyprus Spurge

Wild Oats

Hobblebush

4-21

4-21
Thickets and river edges are being dusted with the white flowers of Shadbush (Amelanchier species). There are eight varieties listed for the state. This one is probably A. laevis.
And in lawns, waste places and cultivated fields Purple Dead Nettle AKA Purple Archangel is in flower. The "dead" in Dead Nettles  refers to the fact that the plant has none of the irritating spines that most nettles are known for.
John

4-20

4-20
An immature Bald Eagle was working its way up the West River today. Eagles take 5 years to reach breeding age.
The delicate bell flowers of Leather Leaf are open. Both the leaves and the flowers of this shrub get progressively smaller as they approach the outer end of the branch.
The male catkins of Sweet Gale with their lustrous bracts brighten wet places. Smaller female cones could be found on separate plants. Male catkins and female cones are usually - but not always - on separate plants. Sweet Gale is seldom over 4 feet tall.
And a Bumblebee queen was foraging in my kitchen garden this afternoon!
John

Leather Leaf

Sweet Gale

4-19

4-19
European Field Pansy (Viola arvensis) is in flower. Like many alien species this pretty little flower is a bit of a weed species, heavily colonizing cultivated fields.
John

4-18

4-18
Spicebush - so called because its twigs are fragrant when bruised - is flowering in wet woods and near water.
Wild Ginger is opening a few flowers. Its root has the taste and smell of ginger.
And Blue Violets joined the white ones in my yard today.
John

Spicebush flowers

Wild Ginger

Blue Violets

4-17

4-17
White Violets and Wild Strawberries are flowering in my yard. Round-leaved Yellow Violets in the woods.
And insect populations are building. Clover Looper and Brown-shaded Carpet moths are both flying.
John

White Violet

Wild Strawberry

Round-leaved Yellow Violet

Clover Looper moth

Brown-shaded Carpet moth

4-16

4-16
Blue Cohosh is opening flowers, Horsetails are up and Cabbage Whites are flying.
John

Blue Cohosh

Horsetail

Cabbage White

4-15

4-15
Out on my lawn a few Bluets are opening and in the thickets Daphne is not far behind.
John

4-14

4-14
Tree Swallows were hawking insects over my field today. Honey Bees were on the wildflowers. And Turtles were basking on logs.
John

4-10

4-10
Atop some sunny ledges along Route 30 the first of the Trailing Arbutus (AKA Mayflower) was open.
John

4-9

4-9
Spring ephemerals are trying hard to open a few flowers. Dutchman's Breeches, Trout Lily and Red Trillium can be seen if you search the warmer pockets. Also flowering but not pictured, Tower Mustard.
At the Retreat Meadows a Great Blue Heron posed nicely for a picture.
John

Dutchman's Breeches

Red Trillium

Trout Lily

Great Blue Heron