May 11, 2016

Notes and Changes since last report

• It was mostly clear with light breezes at 11:00 AM on May 11, 2016, warming eventually to maybe 75°F.
• Let's see if the next couple days are warm enough to finish off the great run of spring flowers.
• Leaves have been coming out strong to make finding new birds more of a challenge.
• Pearl crescent was the returning butterfly today.

The Trails

• The paths through the front Old Hayfield at Gifford House were filled with buttercups.
• A handful of cedar waxwings came into the back of the field to snack.
• Near the edges, tiny bird's-eye and thyme-leaved speedwells - both alien - were blooming.
• In the back Old Hayfield, the flowering dogwood was looking fuller than last week.
• A closer look was worth while.
• The paths here and through the Sedge Meadow were carpeted with dwarf cinquefoil.
• And it was here that my first of the season pearl crescent appeared.
• A shadow passed over as I back tracked through the Sedge Meadow - a lightly worn eastern tiger swallowtail.
• It hung around for a few minutes before departing.
• The shade of the Wappinger Creek Trail felt good by now.
• Oh yeah, the fungus on the tree stump... yes, it had grown considerably since last week.
• Something else promising to grow was angelica by the foot bridge near the "Appendix".
• It's leaves have that big sheath at the base.
• The Cary Pines Trail is so quiet away from the water. I could track a scarlet tanager overhead... and it could track me.
• At the top of the Fern Glen's Roeller Bed there had been two nice examples of hobblebush.
• Now one is gone. I hope the beaver is too.
• Farther down, starry Solomon's seal was blooming.
• Scattered around was wild bleeding heart.
• Foamflower was once more numerous in the cobble... now there is just a couple.
• Some of the large-flowered trillium were turning pink with age.
• One of the mystery plants, possibly an Asian Solomon's seal, had buds ready to open.
• Almost unnoticed, striped maple was blooming overhead.
• At ground level, red baneberry had started.
• Near the boardwalk through the fen, Canada violet was blooming.
• A rustle and a squeek in the leaves revealed a wood frog caught by a garter snake. Glad I'm big.
• Wild sarsaprilla was way in the back and had started blooming.
• A couple years ago, a tree came down right on top of the only toadshade in the 'Glen. I wonder how long that stem is.
• Yellow lady's-slipper update: there may be buds in those stalks.
• I didn't recall ever seeing anything like this: a cup fungus.
• Our mid-size uvularia species, just plain "bellwort" starts after the "large-flowered".
• Easy to miss on the other side of the road, swamp azalea was sparsely flowered, but what was there was nice.
• Behind the Carriage House, the fothergilla was full out now.
• Closer to the parking lot, buckeye looked like it was getting ready to bloom.
• In fact some of the lower spikes had started.
• Right at the edge of the parking lot, the lilacs that had been on hold through the cold and rain were out in full. The light and dark had different fragrances as well as colors.
• Now that I was in the parking lot...