5-17 Moccasin Flower, Dwarf Dandelion, Juvenal's Duskywing butterfly

5-17 A single Moccasin Flower, AKA Pink Lady's Slipper, was in flower this morning.

Dwarf Dandelions dot dry sandy soil and ledges.

A Juvenal's Duskywing - one of 6 duskywing butterflies found in Vermont - posed for a picture. The larval host for this butterfly is oak species. John

5-16 Red Clover, Tall Cinquefoil

5-16 Red Clover - the earliest of a dozen clovers found in this area - is starting its flowering.

Tall Cinquefoil - one of only two cinquefoils with white flowers - is now flower. Look for it in dry fields and on rocky slopes. John

5-15 Goldthread, Common Barberry, Stream Cruiser

5-15 The white flowers and evergreen leaves of Goldthread dot moist woods and bogs.

Clusters of dangling flowers make Common Barberry easy to identify.

A freshly emerged Stream Cruiser dragonfly was still clinging to its nymphal husk allowing its wings to dry and harden before taking its first flight. John

5-14 Blue-eyed Grass, Virginia Waterleaf, Dame's Rocket

5-14 Common Blue-eyed Grass is starting its flowering.

Pale blotched leaves give Virginia Waterleaf its common name. We are near the northern limit of this species' range.

Dame's Rocket, AKA Dame's Violet, is a garden escape that has proliferated in damp loamy areas. Flowers may be purple, pink or white. John

5-13 Tall Buttercup, Creeping Buttercup, American Copper Butterfly

5-13 Old fields and meadows are home to Tall Buttercup.

Creeping Buttercup prefers ditches and low ground.

An aptly named American Copper Butterfly nectared on an aptly named Field Pussytoe. Although tiny these butterflies have a reputation for pugnacity. John

5-12 Starflower, Wild Azalea, cocoon

5-12 A single whorl of 5 - 10 leaves and white star-shaped 7 petaled flowers make Starflower easy to identify.

Wild Azaleas are starting to add a touch of pink to rocky or ledgy hillsides.

A Cecropia, AKA Robin moth will- with a little luck - emerge from this cocoon within the next few weeks. John

5-11 Wild Sarsaparilla, Canada Mayflower, Greater Stitchwort

5-11 The flower umbels of Wild Sarsaparilla can be seen below the plant's umbrella-like leaves. Commonly found along gravel roads.

Canada Mayflower, AKA Wild Lily-of-the-valley, is very common in woods and along roads.

Greater Stitchwort - a garden escape native to Europe - is finding its way into the local landscape. John

5-10 Blackberry, Bugle, Tartarian Honeysuckle

5-10 Low-running Blackberry has started its flowering.

Bugle - an escape from cultivation - colors roadsides and lawns.

The flowers of alien invasive Tartarian Honeysuckle may be either white or pink. John

5-9 Choke Cherry, Chervil

5-9 Choke Cherry is a common shrub or small tree that thrives in almost any soil

Chervil is starting to whiten roadside ditches. John

5-8 Herb Robert, Fringed Polygala, Moose

5-8 Herb Robert - a geranium family member - is starting its flowering.

Fringed Polygala, AKA Flowering Wintergreen or Gay Wings, is opening its unique little blooms.

And, last night, a rather unexpected visitor wandered through my back yard and was caught on trail cam. John

5-7 Common Fleabane

5-7 Common Fleabane, AKA Philadelphia Fleabane, colonizes fields, open woods and, often, lawns. John

5-6 Foamflower, Tri-colored Bumblebee, Yellow Archangel

5-6 Foamflower, AKA False Miterwort, is opening its frothy blooms.

Tri-colored Bumblebees are among the hordes of pollinators.

Yellow Archangel, AKA Aluminum Plant, is an occasional garden escape. I find it in a roadside thicket. John

5-5 Japanese Barberry, Red-berried Elder, Fox and Skunk

5-5 Japanese Barberry - a Class B noxious weed - is opening a few flowers.

The pyramidal flower clusters of Red-berried Elder are fully open.

On game cam a Red Fox and a Skunk foraged in close proximity. They are almost certainly well acquainted. John

5-4 Low Sweet Blueberries, Celandine, Pin Cherries, Raccoon

5-4 Low Sweet Blueberries are flowering profusely.

The showy yellow flowers of Celandine, an alien, are coloring roadsides and waste places.

Pin Cherries, AKA Red or Bird Cherries, are the first to flower of the 5 cherry species found locally.

And our neighborhood Raccoon was on full alert when caught on game cam. John

5-3 Wood Betony, Canada Violets, Common Cinquefoil

5-3 Wood Betony, AKA Lousewort, has either yellow of reddish flowers in dense spikes.

Rich woods are home to Canada Violets. The backs of its white petals are tinged violet.

Common Cinquefoil can be found in fields and open woods. There are a dozen species of Cinquefoil listed in my field guide. John

5-2 Bird's-eye Speedwell. Thyme-leaved Speedwell, Morrow's Honeysuckle

5-2 Bird's-eye Spedwell, AKA Germander, is opening flowers.

Also flowering is Thyme-leaved speedwell. There are 9 Speedwells listed in my field guide.

Morrow's Honeysuckle - the earliest of the 12 honeysuckles found in this region - has opened its first flowers. MOrrow's is a Eurasian import that has escaped to thickets and roadsides. John

5-1 Cypress Spurge, Leatherleaf

5-1 Cypress Spurge is a garden escape that is often found around old cemeteries.

Leatherleaf, AKA Cassandra, has opened its one-sided racemes of bell-shaped flowers. Look for it in bogs, swales and the borders of ponds. John

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