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

4-7

4-7
A few Common Dandelions brightened the otherwise overcast day. And a careful search turned up a few Kidney-leaved Buttercups. Not the showiest of the buttercups, but the earliest!
John

Common Dandelion

Kidney-leaved Buttercup

4-2

4-2
Scarlet cup fungus gives Maple woods a touch of color.
John

3-31

3-31
Gill-over-the-ground (AKA Ground Ivy and Creeping Charlie) is opening a few flowers. A Box Elder bug was visiting this one.
Common Chickweed is also flowering.
John

3-30

3-30
Today a few Blood Roots were open along Green Mountain Camp Rd. and as I was taking this picture, a Mourning Cloak butterfly flitted past.
John

3-24

3-24
I took this picture in the cornfield at Dummerston Landing.
In this one shot there re - I would guess - at least 100 stems of Draba verna AKA Spring Whitlow-grass, an introduced species. I counted over 2 dozen flowers per plant. The area pictured is small, it's between 2 rows of corn stubble, however a large portion of the field is is carpeted. Perhaps acres. There must be millions of plants: tens of millions of flowers!
Yet all you notice from a few feet away is a pinkish tinge to the ground. Individually they are minute. Collectively they are phenomenal!
It's worth seeing.
John
Phoebes are back in the area. I've seen 2 in recent days. Sorry, no pics.

3-22

3-22
Today, on a sun-warmed  ledge, Saxifrage opened a few flowers and in a nearby thicket the tiny twisted crimson styles of female Beaked Hazel flowers punctuated twigs lined with drab male catkins.
John

Chickadee

3-21
This odd little chickadee -  a Black-capped in name only - was identified and photographed by Susan Daigler of West Dummerston.

3-17

3-17
Today a few Myrtle flowers are open.
John

3-11

3-11
Whitlow-grass is opening its tiny, white, four-petaled flowers.
John

3-10

3-10
Today, down at ground level, under the leaf cover, a few Hepatica flowers had opened.
In a local ditch Colt's Foot was up and open for business.
And under my feeders, a Fox Sparrow scratched for sunflower seeds.
John

Hepatica

Colt's Foot

2-25

2-25
There were 5 Red-winged Blackbirds and 5 Grackles at my feeder this morning.
And one of our Raven pair was gathering nest materials and offering it to his mate. She seemed disinterested but he seemed optimistic.
John

Red-winged Blackbirds

Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles

2-17

2-17
Today an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Cedar WAxwings (and 1 robin) were stripping fruit from crabapple trees at C & S warehouse!
John

2-10

2-10
Winter Stoneflies are emerging from the icy waters of the West River, crawling up onto rocks where they will mate. Eggs will be deposited back into the river.
John

1-31

1-31
Warm weather has at least a few chipmunks out and about.
John
The chipmunk gazed at us from the base of the tree next to the rock.