Gaywings
Notes and Changes since last report
- It was 70°F, partly cloudy and blustery at 2:30 PM on May 20, 2020.
- This week's trail report covers the Cary Pines Trail side of the trail system.
- It's finally been feeling like spring with sunny days and temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
- A few butterflies have been showing up: tiger swallowtail, cabbage white, clouded sulphur.
The Trails
- Gaywings has to be one of the strangest flowers on the planet.
- By now, Canada mayflower had begun to bloom.
- Scattered among them was starflower.
- Both the leaves and the flowers look like stars to me.
- Along with the occasional partridgeberry, all the above mingled among Pennsylvania sedge would make the perfect no-mow lawn in a woodland setting.
- At the corner of the Fern Glen parking lot, a pink shrub was glowing in the afternoon sun.
- It was pink azalea.
- In the Roeller Bed, along the road, striped maple was blooming.
- Below, so too was Jacob's ladder.
- Now maidenhair fern looked like the picture in the book; We've been following it since its fiddleheads first appeared.
- Large-flowered trillium was turning from white to pink. I always like to say, we should all age so gracefully.
- As if too shy, nodding trillium tends to hide under its own leaves.
- With a little coaxing a good view can still be had.
- Along the pond, newly blooming golden ragwort was being visited by the first white-striped black of the season - a little day-flying moth.
- In the shrub swamp, blueberry buds had opened.
- Off the trail along the embankment, wild columbine was blooming.
- All along, a veery had been watching...
- ...watching a chipmunk watching me. It would peek at me then disappear only to pop up again a few feet away from a different hole.
- There were a few nice stands of foamflower.
- At a glance it might resemble bishop's cap, but a closer look will remove any doubt.
- The carefully followed pink lady's slipper of our Phenology Trail was up and bearing flower buds.
- In the farthest corned of the Glen, wild sarsaparilla was looking just a little like poison ivy...
- ...except for the flower.
- Also on the Phenology Trail was yellow lady's slipper...
- ... also with swelling flower bud.
- In a number of places, false Soloman's seal was preparing to bloom.
- Next week for sure, limber honeysuckle will be open. Watch for hummingbirds here.
- In the back of the field guide to the ferns, one will find horsetails.
- Near the Fern Glen kiosk, choke cherry was blooming.
- On the way back to the Gifford House parking lot there is an interesting little hedge row.
- The first item was fothergilla.
- Buckeye was just a little farther along the way.
- In the parking lot, a constant stream of different bird calls was coming from a northern mockingbird.
- Around the parking lot, several varieties of lilacs were starting to bloom.
- One was laden with blossoms.
- A smaller one was nearer to Gifford House.
- It was much darker in color and very fragrant.
- In the meantime, way across the parking lot, a red-tailed hawk gave but a passing glance.
- Next week: The Wappinger Creek Trail side of the trail system.
Sightings
Birds
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Plants
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