A day in the Life.....Part 11

The second week of March brought some long awaited weather changes....50+ degree days and SUN!
On Monday, the snowdrops were peeking through the snow again and by Thursday the snow was finally gone and the flowers officially in bloom. These cultivated bulbs are a legacy of the late Carmen H. Warner and it's always good to see them each year, as it usually means we have turned the corner from winter to spring.

Snowdrops on Monday

Snowdrops happy to see the sun on Thursday

The skunk cabbage did not fare quite as well as the snowdrops. In the photo below, you can see that the tips of the spathe have been damaged by the 6-8" of snow and ice that covered them since they appeared a month ago. Between the two spathes you can see the new emerging leaves.

Frosty Cabbage

The animal activity has also picked up this week. About 20 Canada geese flew in on Wednesday. Must to the dismay of the pair that want to nest here. The goose wars have begun! Honking, hissing, flapping and much posturing has made for a noisy scene.

Hey, where's the water??

The pair below beginning the defense of their breeding ground. Notice the low neck position of the one on lower left....not a friendly sign.

Get off my pond!

And on Thursday the little guy below was seen hanging out on the window screen on the south side of the nature center.

Little Brown Bat

And even though it is raining now at 8:50 PM and the temperature is 47 degrees, no sighting of amphibians yet. The breeding ponds are still locked with a thick layer of ice. But I would expect that sometime during the next two weeks or so, the wood frogs, spring peepers and spotted salamanders will make their appearance. And the spring wildflowers will not be far behind.

Posted by Tom