May 06, 2015

Notes and Changes since last report

• It was probably 70°F, mostly cloudy and calm at 2:00 PM on May 6, 2015.
• Grass was getting close to needing mowing and trees were beginning to leaf out.
• Spring ephemerals were racing along in the Fern Glen with new ones blooming every other day.
• Plenty of spring azures and a few cabbage whites were out; a single meadow fritillary made an appearance.
• Gray treefrogs were calling.

The Trails

• The front Old Hayfield was considerably greener than the week before.
• By the Old Pumphouse, a wing was all that was left of a duck that had fed something.
• On the Sedge Meadow Trail a newly returned Prairie warbler allowed a photo.
• In the Sedge Meadow itself, tussock sedge was flowering.
• The back Old Hayfield was just one place to note the less eagerly awaited return of the eastern tent caterpillar.
• Right at the bench was an eastern towhee out in the open.
• On the northern edge, flowering dogwood was just beginning to open.
• A rose-breasted grosbeak popped into view as I back tracked along the Sedge Meadow Trial. A few could be heard calling.
• Wood anemone, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cut-leaved toothwort, and Pennsylvania sedge had started to bloom along the Wappinger Creek Trail.
• It was nicely birdy along Creek with yellow-throated vireo, common raven, wood thrush, black-throated green warbler and Baltimore oriole calling.
• On the approach to the Fern Glen, crabapple was bloomin on the hillside.
• At the top of the first bed, hobblebush was blooming where the deer hadn't browsed.
• At the bottom of the same bed, starry false Solomon's seal was beginning to bloom.
• All around the limestone cobble, early meadow rue was blooming.
• On the uphill side, the presumably Asian Solomon's seal had joined the blooming frenzy.
• Back in the fen, leatherleaf was sporting its little white bells.
• By the main kiosk, regular toothwort had started.
• On the way out, I stopped for a try at the absurdly tiny blossom of miterwort or bishop's cap, if you prefer.
• Low flying things at the entrance to the trail system turned out to be beeflies. Don't worry: that pointy proboscis seems more for probing flowers than people.
• One last observation of the day was the Bradford pear by the Carriage House.