4-19 Long-spurred Violet, Wild Columbine, Jack-in-the-pulpit

 4-19

Long-spurred Violets favor shaded woodland slopes.

Wild Columbine likes dry woods, rocky cliffs and ledges.

And Jack-in-the-pulpit frequents rich wet woods, swamps and peat bogs.

John

4-18 Hobblebush and Garlic Mustard

 4-18

Hobblebush, AKA Witch Hobble, is starting its flowering. The large outer blossoms now open have no reproductive parts. The much smaller true flowers in the center have yet to open.

And the despised alien Garlic Mustard is opening a few flowers.

John

4-17 American Fly Honeysuckle and Trailing Arbutus

 4-17

American Fly Honeysuckle is starting to flower.

Trailing Arbutus, AKA Mayflower, is also opening a few of its clustered pink flowers.

John

4-16 Spicebush, Shadbush and Wild Ginger

 4-16

Today a lot of Spicebush

and an occasional Shadbush are in flower.

I also found Wild Ginger in a location suitable for photography. For a week or so I've been seeing it only on high inaccessible ledges.

John

4-15 Field Pansy, Wild Strawberry and Cowslips

 4-15

 Field Pansies

and Wild Strawberries

were among the species to flower in a sun drenched field today.

In a wet area Cowslips or Marsh Marigolds

were providing their own bit of sunshine.

John

4-14 Many, many flowers

4-14

Among the species flowering today were Lesser Celandine,

Rock Cress,

Red Trillium,

Blue Cohosh

and Trout Lily, AKA Dogtooth Violet.

Queen Bumble Bees (not pictured) were flying and Fiddleheads were at a stage tempting to foragers.

John 

4-13 Violets and Bluet

 4-13

Common Blue Violets may be either blue or - as in this case - white with blue markings.

Round-leaved Yellow Violets are brightening woodlots.

And a few Bluets, AKA quaker Ladies, are popping up in lawns.

John

4-12 Kidneyleaf Buttercup and Shepherd's Purse

 4-12

Small-flowered Crowfoot, AKA Kidneyleaf Buttercup (Rununculus abortivus) is opening a few flowers and the flowering season of Shepherd's Purse is well underway.

John

Kidneyleaf Buttercup 

4-11 Great Blue Heron

 4-11

Today a Great Blue Heron was fishing in a Dummerston pond.

Also seen but not photographed: an Osprey in Brattleboro and forsythia in flower in Putney!

John

4-10 Infant moth

 4-10

The Infant, a day flying moth, scientific name Archiearis infans, is often airborne before the snow has fully melted. Host plants for the moth are birches and aspens.

John

4-9 Dandelions and Solitary Bees

 4-9

A few Dandelions are opening and Solitary Bees are active. These little bees are important pollinators.

John

4-8 Poplar catkins

 4-8

Polar catkins are unfurling. 

Also seen, a Mourning Cloak butterfly which flew too erratically for me to capture a picture.

John

4-7 Spring Beauty

 4-7

A diligent search turned up one Spring Beauty in flower. Soon woodlots will be carpeted with these attractive and welcome early birds!

John

4-6 Daphne

 4-6

Daphne, an escape cultivation, is opening a few flowers.

I also saw - but could get no picture of - two Painted Turtles.

And Peepers were sounding off today in a wet area off Camp Arden Rd.

John

4-3 Speckled Alder and Pussy Willow

 4-3

The catkins of Speckled Alder and Pussy Willow are both expanding noticable.

John

4-2 Bloodroot

 4-2

An occasional Bloodroot is in flower. I see them at the base of ledges and tucked in against the foundations of buildings, places with good solar gain.

And, there was a Woodcock 'peenting' in a nearby field last night.

John

4-1 Gill-o'er-the-Ground

 4-1

Gill-o'er-the-Ground, AKA Ground Ivy and Creeping Charlie, has just opened a few flowers.

John

3-31 Purple Dead Nettle

 3-31

Purple Dead Nettle is up and flowering. Two close relatives, S
potted Dead Nettle and Yellow Henbit, AKA Yellow Archangel, can also be found in the area.

John

3-29 Early Saxifrage

 3029

In sun bathed ledges Early Saxifrage is flowering.

John

3-28 Hairy Bittercress

 3-28

Hairy Bittercress is up and flowering. This bittercress is a rare recent arrival to the state but may soon be common.

John

3-27 Common Chickweed

 3-27

Common Chickweed favors disturbed soils. Look for it in gardens and fallow fields. There are at least 6 species that can be found in our area.

John

3-26 Beaked Hazel

 3-26

Beaked Hazel is opening its tiny scarlet flowers. although easily overlooked they are worth searching for.

John

3-25 Mouse-ear Cress

 3-24

Mouse-ear Cress - another early flowering winter annual - is opening its tiny
blossoms.

This species, Arabidopsis thaliana, is famous being the first vascular plant for which the entire genome was sequenced.

John

3-22 Hepatica and Kingfisher

 3-22

Hepaticas are opening a few flowers.

In Brattleboro a Kingfisher posed for a picture and I saw, but did not get a picture of a Phoebe!

John

3-21 Silver Maples and Spring Whitlow Grass

 3-21

Both Silver Maples and Spring Whitlow Grass were flowering today.

Whitlow Grass sometimes behaves as a winter annual starting its growth - and even flowering - in the fall, and continuing it whenever the top inch of soil is thawed and snow free.

John

3-17 Chipmunk

 3-17

Chipmunk mating season is starting. Last year my earliest sighting was on 3 -11.

John

3-12 Myrtle

 3-12

Myrtle, another early flowering alien, has opened one blossom where a ledge acts as a solar reflector.

John

3-10 Coltsfoot

 3-10

Although not native and - by some - not very highly regarded, Coltsfoot adds a welcome touch of color to late winter ditches.

John