4-30 Toothwort, Red Fox

4-30 Toothwort is in flower.

And a Red Fox hunted in my field to the consternation of the local crows. John

4-29 Painted Trillium, Skunk Currants, Loons

4-29 I found a single Painted Trillium in flower this morning.

Skunk Currants can be seen in cool rocky woods.

And Loons are on their ponds, but not yet nesting. John

4-28 Dwarf Ginseng, Northern White Violet, Hobblebush, Opossum

4-28 Dwarf Ginseng has started its flowering.

Northern White Violets are open in rich wet locations.

The outer sterile flowers of Hobblebush are open. The small fertile flowers in the center will open soon.

And caught on trail cam - an opossum was sniffing around my yard last night. John

4-27 Dog Violets, Ovate-leaved Violets, Red Admiral Butterfly

4-27 Both Dog Violets and Ovate-leaved Violets are starting to flower. Dog Violets

Ovate-leaved Violet

And, an unexpectedly early Red Admiral was airborne! John

4-26 Jack-in-the-pulpit, Wood Turtle

4-26 Jack-in-the-pulpits are just starting their flowering.

And a layer of silty mud dulls the carapace of a freshly emerged Wood Turtle. John

4-25 Yellow Wood Sorrel, Field Horsetails

4-25 Yellow Wood sorrel is putting up a few flowers.

Field Horsetails are sending up whorls of green branches on one structure and pinkish spore bearing cones on separate structures. Both are now visible. Often found along roadsides. John

4-24 Field Mustard, Corn Speedwell

4-24 Field Mustard shows golden in damp places and disturbed soil.

The tiny blue flowers of Corn Speedwell can be found in farm fields and lawns. Measuring only about 1/16 inch across these flowers could easily be overlooked. John

4-23 Columbine, Garlic Mustard, Angle-winged Butterfly

4-23 Columbine is gracing sun-warmed ledges.

Garlic Mustard is carpeting road verges and thickets.

And, an Angle-winged butterfly - probably an Eastern Comma - posed for a picture. John

4-22 Wood Anemone, Wild Oats

4-22 Wood Anemone, AKA Wind Flower, is a common riverbank species.

Wild Oats, AKA Sessile-leaved Bellwort, is common in woods and thickets. John

4-21 American Fly Honeysuckle, Squirrel Corn, Mourning Cloak Butterfly

4-21 American Fly Honeysuckle, the earliest of the dozen or so species found in Vermont, is in flower.

Squirrel Corn has just opened its first flowers.

Mourning Cloak Butterflies have been active for a few weeks but this was the first one to pose within camera range. John

4-20 Shadbush

4-20 Shadbush, an understory tree of riverbanks and field edges, is starting its flowering! John

4-19 Common Blue Violet, Round-leaved Yellow Violet, Earth Star

4-19 Both Common Blue Violet and Round-leaved Yellow Violets are opening.

And last fall's Barometer Earth Stars are still picture worthy. The rays of this fungus open when wet, close when dry. John

4-18 Wild Strawberry, Long-spurred Violet

4-18 One Wild Strawberry has opened a flower.

And, one Long-spurred Violet has followed suit! John

4-17 Spicebush, Field chickweed, Black Squirrel, Bear cubs

4-17 The flower clusters of spicebush are giving swampy areas a golden glow.

Agricultural fields and waste places are dotted with field chickweed with its five deeply cleft white petals.

a family member snapped a picture of a black phase Gray Squirrel.

A Black Bear sow with three tiny cubs crossed my path this AM although I only got two cubs in my somewhat blurry picture. John

4-16 Lesser Celandine, Mayflower, Bumblebee

4-16 Lesser Celandine, a farden escape, is starting its flowering.

On warmed ledges Mayflower, AKA Trailing Arbutus, nestles among its evergreen leaves.

This morning I watched honey bees in a patch of ground ivy and this afternoon I snapped a picture of a Bumble Bee. John

4-15 Trout Lilies, Small-flowered Crowfoot, Garter Snakes

4-15 Trout Lilies, AKA Yellow Adder's Tongue, opened to the sun today.

Small-flowered Crowfoot, AKA Small-flowered Buttercup, also flowering but much less noticeably.

And, a cluster of 4 Garter Snakes was basking on a sun warmed pile of leaves. John

4-14 Miterwort, Dutchman's -breeches, Fiddleheads

4-14 Both Miterwort and dutchman's-breeches are opening a few flowers.

and Fiddleheads ae lifting above the leaf litter. John

4-13 Red Trillium, Blue Cohosh, Scarlet Cup Fungi

4-13 Red Trillium, AKA Wake Robin, is starting its flowering.

Blue Cohosh is not far behind.

And Scarlet Cup fungi adds its own touch of color to the spring woods. John