5-7
Along Nourse Hollow Road Gold Thread and Swamp Saxifrage are starting to flower. And, along Carpenter Road Fringed Polygala is putting on a show.
In my yard House Wrens are loudly defending unrealistically large territories in anticipation of the nesting season.
John

Gold Thread

Swamp Saxifrage

Fringed Polygala

5-6
Along the Railroad bike path Columbine is at its peak.
Pennsylvania Bittercress, Toothwort, Golden Alexanders, Foam Flower, Barberry, False Solomon's Seal and Smooth Rock Cress are also in flower.
John

Toothwort

Foam Flower

Columbine

5-5
It's turtle season. A Snapper was crossing Quarry Rd. this afternoon. Drive carefully!
John

Utah Elevation impacts spring flowers

5.04.13   Yesterday I visited an area that a week ago was covered with Spring beauties and Glacier lilies; both flowers were fast fading and going to seed.  Today I climbed up an additional 500 feet and found those ephemerals

in their prime.  In fact, patches of snow lingered in shaded, north-facing areas.  Two pairs of Pink-sided Juncos flitted around in trailside shrubbery.  The male has  darker head and neck than the pale gray of the female.  Both have a dark eye lores and brown patches on their back.  When wings are raised, tan-pink coloration is more visible along the sides.  As I came down the mountain, Arrowleaf Balsamroot clumps brightened the west-facing roadside.  This plant is an important forage for livestock.  The bright blue of Stickseed provides a nice contrast among all the yellow flowers at this time of year, but its dry, hooked seed won't be as welcome attached to socks and pant legs in a few months! 

5-2
Painted Trilliums are in flower as are Spring Beauties, Smooth Yellow Violets, Kidneyleaf Buttercups and Squirrel Corn.
Ovenbirds are calling in the woods and Pine Elfin Butterflies have emerged.
Hobblebush - a Viburnum with unique 2 stage flower clusters is in bloom. Large non-reproductive outer flowers surround tiny, tightly clustered true flowers.
John

Smooth Yellow Violet

Hobblebush

Painted Trillium

Spring Beauty

4-30
On sunny south-facing slopes a few blueberries are in flower.
John

Fairy circle

I found a fairy circle of cinnamon fern on land just east of Bunker Hill Road.

4-29
Along field margins and river banks Shad (AKA Shad Bush) is opening the first of its frothy whilte masses of blossoms. Shad's 5 petaled flowers appear before the tree leafs out.
John

Utah wildflowers and beaver dams

4.28.13  On a 6.25 mile hike at 5500 - 6000 feet elevation where the snow has just melted, we found the green grass filled with Glacier lilies, Spring beauties, Fritillaria and yellow Nuttall violets.  Low showy Larkspur is just starting to open their delphinium blue blossoms; Mountain Pepperplant with ball-shaped clusters of 4-petalled white flowers on 5-inch stems; Humble Buttercup (aka Unattractive Buttercup); and Dwarf Waterleaf with its lavender ball of bloom resting on the ground filled in spaces.  
We came upon a shallow stream that beavers were attempting to dam up.  Beavers in an arid land seemed to lack experience: they had placed a primary dam across the stream, but they seemed unsure what to do when they were met with more success than they'd planned and water started spilling out at the side.  Their solution was to build another dam, corral-like along the side and added a short V-shaped connection to meet the primary dam.   One can see why they may have chosen the site - lots of building material is nearby, and the view can't be beat!

 

4-28
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are back.
A few Dwarf Ginseng are in bloom as are Wild Oats and Golden Saxifrage. Golden saxifrage is an obscure, nearly petal-less, miniscule flower of seeps and swamps. Also in those wet areas, tiny white violets - presumably the Northern White Violets that favor such areas - were in abundance.
Cabbage White Butterflies were airborne, as were a few black flies.
John

Northern White Violet

Dwarf Ginseng

Wild Oats

Golden Saxifrage

4-27
Both of these violets - contrary to our senses - are probably Common Blue Violets (V. pupilionacea) which occur in purple, lavender and white variations. They are nearly ubiquitous early bloomers on lawns.
John

4-25
Field Pussytoes attract an abundance of insect life including small blue butterflies - perhaps Eastern Tailed Blues. Unfortunately the butterflies refused to pose for pictures.
Along the river, patches of Wood Anemone were in flower.
And in Newfane, Marsh Marigolds AKA Cowslips blazed along a cold narrow rill. Unmistakable even from a moving vehicle.
John

4-24
Although the leaves of Wild Ginger have not fully unfurled, its odd, three-lobed reddish brown flowers are already open down among last year's dead leaves and pine needles.
Chickweed has five deeply cleft petals making it appear to have ten.
John

4-21
In a wet ditch both Cursed Crowfoot (AKA Cursed Buttercup) and Jack-in-the-pulpit were flowering.
And in my Andromeda bush, a Red-tailed Bumblebee loaded up on nectar and pollen.
John

Old Bear Scat

Bear scat. O-l-d bear scat in our 1-acre "field." Near my vegetable garden. From last fall?
It's all white now.

Cheryl, Partridge Road

4-20
Today the swamps were aglow with the tiny paired flower clusters of Spicebush.
A handful of Blue Cohosh flowers could be seen.
A lone wild Strawberry decided that it was time to bloom.
And in a rocky, sheltered niche two Miterworts unfolded their strangely fringed flowers to the new season.
John

4-19
Lots of warblers in the tree tops. The one I got the binoculars on was a Yellow-rumped.
A few Bluets opening.
This little milksnake was, unfortunately, "road kill" on the bike path.
Six-spotted Green Tiger Beetles are on the hunt for insect prey.
And, this patch of Trout Lilies is in its full glory.
John