I hate to sound alarmist, but I think some haste is needed if you want to see your favorite wildflowers this year. Everything is happening so fast! Now, maybe this cooler weather will slow things down a little, but if you check out the new list of flowers in bloom, you'll see what I mean!
In addition to the flower list, some of our feathered migrants are beginning to return. So far, we have Phoebes, Yellow-throated Warblers, Pine Warblers, and Louisiana Waterthrushs back. Also as of yesterday, the Grebe was still here. I even watched him choke down a big (for him) fish!
Today I got very muddy rescuing salamander eggs. The small "beaver" pond next to the Nature Center is a hot spot for Spotted Salamander eggs, but the water levels were really high when the eggs were laid. Since then the water level has dropped, and left the poor eggs high and dry. Well, sort of. The egg masses are designed to help prevent them from drying out if that happens at least until rain would bring more water into the pool. The eggs themselves are encased in a jello-y substance that, like real jello, is mostly water. This helps protect the eggs and developing larva. So, the egg masses I "rescued" were fine on the inside, but I moved them anyway because they were a couple of feet above the current water line. Plus, it's fun to play in the mud!
Well, here is the list of new flowers now in bloom. Keep scrolling too, as I've put some pictures at the end. Enjoy!
Celendine Poppy
Pale Violet
Indian Strawberry
Early Saxifrage
Dogwood
Crabapple
Black Jet Bead
Pussy Toes
Pennywort
Spring Cress
Squirrel Corn
Large flowered Bellwort
Jack-in the-Pulpit
Creeping Phlox
Long-spur Violet
Twin Leaf
Forget-me-not
Wild Blue Phlox
Large flowered Trillium
