4-25

4-25
The short lived pinkish spore bearing stalks of Field Horsetails are pushing up. Later in the season these structures will die back and jointed green branching stems will grow nearby.
And Gill-over-the-ground is starting to flower. Other common names for this plant are Creeping Charlie and Ground Ivy. Like most members of the mint clan it's an escape.
John

4-24

4-24
The tiny red female flowers and male catkins of American Hazelnut graced the thickets today.
The twig hugging yellow flowers of Spicebush brightened wet areas.
Blue Cohosh has opened an occasional flower.
And the frilly white flowers of Miterwort mirrored flakes of falling snow!
In the trees a Bluegray Gnatcatcher flitted from branch tip to branch tip. And Savannah Sparrows foraged along a fence row.
John

American Hazelnut

Spicebush

Blue cohosh

Miterwort

4-23

4-23
Ferns are pushing up through the leaf litter.
Elms are in flower.
And after a diligent search of optimal sites I found a Trailing Arbutus in flower. Trailing Arbutus, also known as Mayflower, stays green all winter.
John

Elm flowers

Trailing Arbutus

4-20

4-20
Today Cowslips (AKA Marsh Marigolds) added a hint of sunshine to the otherwise overcast day. cowslips are in the Buttercup family. Look for them in wet places. They usually have their feet in water.
John

4-19

4-19
The Red Maples in my neighborhood are fully in flower. On Black Mountain peepers called from a swampy area while in the old beaver pond Red-spotted Newts gorged on Wood Frog eggs. And in the woods near my house Round-leaved Yellow Violets turned their faces to the sun.
John

Red Maples

Wood Frog egg masses and Red-spotted Newts

Round-leaved Yellow Violets

4-18

4-18
Today Early Saxifrage is in flower. Also a single Red Trillium had opened as had a single Trout Lily, a single Myrtle and a single stem of Dutchman's Breeches all found in the warmest, most favorable micro-climate I know of.
The race is on for spring ephemerals that need to do their flowering and their photosynthesizing before the trees open their leaves! Trailing Arbutus is budded and Wild Ginger is pushing up leaves.
John

Early Saxifrage

Red Trillium

Trout Lily

Myrtle

Dutchman's Breeches

4-16

4-16
Daphne, a European species that has become naturalized here, is putting out a few fragrant stem hugging pinkish-purple flowers. Occasionally white flowered specimens are also found. Later in the season red or yellow berries will form.
John

4-14

4-14
Today I heard Wood Frog's "quacking" in one pond. In another pond a half dozen Painted Turtles were basking.
The first of the Hepatica in my yard opened.
And Sapsucker wells in a maple tree attracted several species of bee mimicking flower flies, Anglewinged butterflies and fireflies. I would guess there were a dozen species of insect feeding on the oozing sap.
John

Hepatica

Sapsucker wells

"beefly"

"beefly"

Anglewinged butterfly

4-13

4-13
White throated Sparrows are scratching through the hedgerows.
One of the Anglewinged butterflies was airborne, perhaps the one called "the Questionmark."
An occasional Bloodroot is open.
And the little, early spring flying moth with the intriguing common name "the Infant" was flying. The larval host for this species is birch but it will also eat willow and aspen. Look for them along gravel roads.
John

The Infant

Bloodroot

4-12

4-12
Silver Maples are starting to flower. This one was at Dummerston Landing.
There were three Bald Eagles on the Retreat Meadows, this subadult and two adults.
And a Great Blue Heron stood perfectly still with the exception of a few wind stirred plumes.
John

4-11

4-11
This morning there was a Chipping Sparrow in my yard and a Louisiana Waterthrush along a nearby stream. It was also warm enough to get a Woolly Bear caterpillar on the move although it will find precious little to eat right now.
Also it's tick season. One hitchhiked home with me today!
John

4-10

4-10
A Flicker made several visits to my suet feeder today. Flickers are ant specialists and ants are as yet in short supply!
John

4-5

4-5
This evening Woodcocks were 'peenting' enthusiastically in fields near my house despite the cold and wind.
John

4-3

4-3
Song Sparrows are carving out territories along the West River and singing their claims. And a Cooper's hawk spent the morning terrorizing Blue Jays in my yard. The jays avoided becoming hawk food but a Mourning Dove was not so lucky.
John

4-2

4-2
Birds are on the move!
Today a Fox Sparrow scratched through the leaf litter along a fence row. A Grackle fed under a neighbor's feeders. Two Phoebes hunted in a willow thicket beside the West River. A Tree Sparrow flitted overhead. A pair of Red-shouldered hawks circled over my woodlot. And hundreds of Canada Geese streamed north, many at such altitudes that they were visible only with binoculars.
It seems that spring picked up its pace today. The laggard season caught up. Last year Tree Swallows arrived in my yard on 4-4; Phoebes on 4-2!
John

4-1

4-1
Today a pair of Black Ducks dabbled happily in the West River.
And this Mourning Cloak butterfly - one of 3 I saw - battled against the wind as it crossed my field. Mourning Cloaks overwinter as adults.
The larval host plants for the species include willow and poplar. The stunning, red-blotched, spiny black caterpillars are mature in July or August.
John

Signs of Spring

As the snow melts it's easy to see that some creatures (voles?) spent the winter feasting on the bark of this cherry tree. In other signs of spring 5 raccoons cavorted in the moonlight in our backyard last night. They took turns tumbling around the lawn and climbing the dwarf cherry tree to eat the berries. Today cedar waxwings enjoy the berries while this turkey wanders by.

3-30

3-30

For the last three or four days Canada Geese have been working their way north.

John

3-29

3-29
 Today it was warm enough for a few flies to emerge.
John

3-26

3-26
Today a flock of about 60 Cedar Waxwings was feasting in a bittersweet tangle along Green Mountain Camp Rd. And Mallards were moving up ice free sections of the West River.
John

3-25

3-25
Coltsfoot is among the earliest of the wildflowers. Only Skunk Cabbage flowers earlier.
These yellow composites will be long gone before the plant's big long-lasting leaves push up. The leaves persist long into the fall.

John

3-24

3-24
Today a Kingfisher worked its way up the West River … despite the ice that still clogs much of the channel. Its raucous rattle was a welcome hint of the warmth to come.
John

3-21

3-21
A rather emaciated looking Red Fox was chasing gray squirrels under my bird feeders at 10 AM!
In dry sun-warmed spots along the edge of my field Grouse Locust were active.
And overhead, raptors were moving north. I saw red-tails, Cooper's hawks, turkey vultures and a bald eagle. When the sun was out there were good thermals!
John

Grouse Locust

3-20

3-20
For the last few weeks I have had an occasional Red-winged Blackbird at my feeders.
Today I had a flock of 45. Forty-two males plus 3 females. With them was a Brown-headed Cowbird.
John

3-18

3-18
This raccoon went up the tree sniffing like a bloodhound on a trail. I suspect that it was a boar coon on the scent of a female. 'Coons are normally nocturnal. Being out and about at 10 AM hints at a powerful incentive. On his way back to the woods this one had a hearty snack at one of my bird feeders and a drink out of my bird bath.
John

3-15

3-15
This weekend's weather front brought with it a wave of returning raptors. I saw several red-tailed hawks moving north this morning, also one bald eagle and a pair of turkey vultures … the first I've seen this year. A rather grainy picture of one of the vultures was the best I could do. The birds were moving high and fast.!
While it may not seem very springlike today the return of the vultures means that road kill is no longer frozen solid and winter killed deer are melting out of the snow.
Eat hearty, vultures!
John

3-4-2015

3-4
Despite the record cold in February Hemlock Woolly Adelgid managed to increase its footprint. Nine of 30 trees I checked along Camp Arden Road were infested. A stand of Hemlocks on Green Mt. Camp Rd that I have surveyed frequently in the past now has obvious Adelgid populations.
John

3-3-2015

3-3
Today with the sky overcast and the thermometer at 25 degrees F a few snow fleas (order Collembola) were atop the snow and active.
There are some 675 known species of Collembola in America north of Mexico. Most live in the leaf litter, but habitats as diverse as the surface of stagnant water, under bark, and in the canopy of trees have been colonized by members of this order. There are few places they can't be found.
I have no idea which of the 675 known species I was seeing today. They were in sun melted 'wells' around phone poles and, to my surprise, many were laboriously climbing those poles. I took pictures of some that were 3 to 4 feet above the surface of the snow, a towering height for such a tiny climber, and they were still headed up!
Mysteries abound. Which species was I seeing? Why were they scaling vertical structures? Who knows? Just getting a picture of one of these hyperactive pepper specks is a challenge.
John

3-2-2015

3-2
Since 2-25 Winter Stonefly naiads have been leaving the water. Once the naiads shed their "skin" the adult flies (pictured) walk over the snow and ice and climb on streamside weeds and brush. This is their brief terrestrial mating season, the only time they are not in the water!
These synchronous winter stonefly emergings provide food for migrating birds caught by late season stormes. Phoebes, robins, bluebirds and song sparrows will feed on them.
Even crows find these tiny insects irresistible.
John

2-21

2-21
Winter may seem to have a lock on southern Vermont, but Bald Eagle and Chipmunk sightings indicate that spring is not far off.
People along Camp Arden Rd have been reporting a Bald Eagle. Before long eagle pairs will be incubating eggs.
And this morning along Day Rd I saw a (cold) chipmunk. Some warm day soon there will be chipmunk mating chases ensuring a bumper crop of chippies next summer!
John