June 13, 2018

Notes and Changes since last report

• It was 70°F, calm and cloudy with occasional showers at 2:30 PM on June 13, 2018.
• This week's trail report covers the Cary Pines Trail side of the trail system.
• Starting with a low battery, a discharged back up, and the threat of rain was not promising.
• However, everything worked out.

The Trails

• Under the damp, gray sky at Gifford House, a spot of red was barely visible out in the tall grass.
• It was a lone peony.
• The spray of white at the corner of the House was Kousa dogwood.
• A familiar trill from the Old Hayfield behind me was a cedar waxwing .
• It was not two more that joined the first, but eastern bluebirds, a juvenile begging from an adult.
• Sprinkles were enough to dampen the common wood sorrel by the time I got to the Fern Glen.
• The big spikenard along the road was forming flowers.
• Valeriana alliariaefolia was only ID'd a year or two ago; it's from Russia.
• At the front of the pond, the river birch was hosting velvet gall caused by tiny mites.
• Holes in the leaves suggested a caterpillar could be near by.
• Indeed it was that of the gypsy moth.
• Near the kiosk, a white "sport" of blue flag was pretty finished.
• Diervilla was still performing by the railing to the road.
• On the way to the fen, the colony of greenish-flowered pyrola had been slowly growing over the years.
• At least one should flower this year.
• Red baneberry, with its long-stalked fruit, was becoming more easy to tell from white baneberry.
• In the poor fen, sheep laurel was in full bloom.
• Tiny maleberry was blooming just off the boardwalk.
• Highbush blueberry was forming fruit already.
• Below, bittersweet nightshade was blooming.
• Nearby, poison sumac was forming flowers.
• Back on the perimeter path, Virginia waterleaf was blooming.
• On closer inspection, it appeared it may have started a while ago.
• Panacled hawkweed can bloom short or tall.
• Crowfoot, with its tiny flowers earlier, was now making tiny seeds.
• In the farthest reaches in the back of the Glen, there was a tall, white bloom.
• That was tall meadow-rue.
• Along the trail back to the kiosk, was one of the obscure sanicle or black snakeroot species.
• In wet areas, forget-me-not was out of control.
• Closer to the kiosk, Bowman's root was now blooming.
• It would be just a while longer until daisy fleabane would open.
• False Solomon's seal was done flowering and now forming berries.
• Out on the Cary Pines Trail, starflower, too, was fruiting.
• And mixed in were clusters of white:
• Partridgeberry.
• Next week: the Wappinger Creek Trail side of the trail system.