Out to Play with My Friends

Another stunningly gorgeous day today, cool but with a warm sun and bright blue sky.  And what better way to spend it than playing outdoors with your friends?  Especially when those friends share your love for nature and are willing to stop and smell, not just the roses, but also the Skunk Cabbage along the way.  I am so lucky to have such friends among the group that calls itself the Thursday Naturalists, and today we gathered at the Ballston Creek Preserve in Malta to hike through the woods to the shores of Ballston Creek.

It was here, where Ballston Creek widens into a swamp, that we lingered to observe the most amazing display of avian nesters any bird-watcher could dream of: not just dozens of Great Blue Herons perched on their huge nests, but also a pair of Ospreys guarding their own gigantic construction of a nest, as well as a solitary Great Horned Owl snuggled down in a former heron's nest that she and her mate had appropriated from the original builders.

This photo shows one heron standing on the edge of its nest and, to the left, the owl sitting down in hers.  The Osprey nest was on the opposite edge of the swamp, and we wondered if maybe the female was settled way down in the nest where we couldn't see her.  The other Osprey was perched in a nearby tree and never moved all the time we were there.

Although we in the Thursday Naturalists are passionately interested in all aspects of nature, I would say our primary interest was in plants, so of course we searched the woods for any flowers that we might find.  The sight of these speckled Trout Lily leaves gave us hope that the beautiful yellow flowers would soon be blooming.  (The bright-red berry belongs to Partridge Berry, an evergreen groundcover whose fruits stay red all winter.)

On our way into the woods we saw a few Carolina Spring Beauties still in tight bud, but by the time we returned, we discovered the warm sun had coaxed those buds into bloom.  Soon, the forest floor will be carpeted with hundreds, even thousands of these dainty pink-striped flowers.

I did not expect to see Bloodroot today, since one place I usually look for them showed no sign of their presence as yet.  But that's what's so great about having other nature-nut friends.  Somebody always knows another spot to look.  Our friend Don led us there, and lo!  The Bloodroot was in bloom!  What a beautiful sight!

Variations on a Theme of Hepatica

On Monday, I found only one Hepatica blooming in the Skidmore woods.  Today,  after two more days of warmth, they were blooming almost everywhere I looked, with many more yet to come. Hepaticas are such luminous flowers, with shimmering sepals in many shades from deepest purple to pale lavender or pink to pristine white.   Here's just a sampling of what I saw.


See how furry the buds and stems are, as if to keep the plants warm through these still-cold nights.

The flowers are luminous, iridescent, even,  so that I have to shut down the exposure severely in order to capture any detail at all.  As a consequence, the background recedes into darkness and the flowers seem to float aloft and glow as if lit from within.

The deep green of the moss provided a lovely foil for the radiant purple of this solitary bloom.

Although the leaves were formed last spring and have weathered the winter under the snow, they still look relatively fresh, and many are colored magenta or purple as well as green.  Here is a purple leaf.

And here is a deep magenta one.

Can you see how the sepals sparkle when lit up by the sun?

And in the shade, the flowers seem to glow with a pearly light.

Some flowers were the palest of pinks.

Other flowers were a deep rich purple.

Still others were the brightest of whites, set off by a lime-green center.

Wait a minute!  This is NOT a Hepatica!  No, but this dainty English Violet was also blooming today, our earliest of our violets to bloom.  Actually, it's not technically "ours," since this is an introduced species of violet, but who wouldn't welcome it to our shores, especially since it's as fragrant as its scientific name (Viola odorata) suggests.

Another Gift From the Weather Gods!

 Yet one more sunlit blue-sky day of pleasant shirt-sleeve warmth!  That long, cold, ice-bound winter is quickly fading from memory, as the sand grows soft and warm beneath my feet, and a gentle breeze may lift my hair without causing me to shudder from the cold. Today could not have been lovelier for an easy walk along the eastern shore of Moreau Lake.

One reason I prefer  to walk this side of the lake is that the shore here is wide and shallow and sandy.  Not only can I stride along without the impediment of sucking mud or intruding thickets, I also can see through the crystal-clear water to the multicolored pebbles strewn along the bottom.  And today, the water's ripples were catching the sunlight to cast bright shimmering ribbons of gold on the sand beneath.  What a flashing, dancing display of light, as if the water itself were celebrating its long-awaited release from its prison of ice!

When I reached the north end of the lake I slipped through the woods to visit Moreau's back bay, a quiet rest-stop for many migrating waterfowl.  There were ducks today, Buffleheads, I believe, although they were too far away for me to discern, even through binoculars.  What I could see clearly, though, was this mother Canada Goose preparing her nest atop a beaver's lodge.  I wonder if this is the very same goose who made  her nest here last year.

On my way home, I stopped again at Orra Phelps Nature Preserve to revisit the Snow Trillium growing there.  And I wan't the only visitor, was I?  Each flower was very, very busy with bees that ranged in size from tiny to almost microscopic.  How wonderful for these early pollinators to find such abundant pollen so early in spring!

Another early pollinator was wafting through the woods, a flash of bright orange that would then turn dead-leaf brown when this Eastern Comma Butterfly would land on a leaf or a branch.  I once read somewhere that these "angel-wing" butterflies get that name for their habit of completely disappearing into thin air when they close their wings, they are so well camouflaged.  Yes, I would have to agree.

I had also read that they are quite friendly, as butterflies go, and so I ventured a finger forward, and -- sure enough! -- the creature allowed me to lift it up for a closer look.  Oh look, we can clearly see the white "comma" that gives this early spring butterfly its name.

It's hard to believe that those dull brown wings could open up to display such vivid color as this.

Is It Spring Yet?

Oh boy, it sure IS!  Well over 70 degrees today, with a radiant blue sky from horizon to horizon!  And yesterday was almost as lovely, when my friend Sue and I walked on Bog Meadow Nature Trail just outside Saratoga Springs.  What a day to be out, with the forest floor finally free of snow, and the little brooks cheerfully tumbling down every hillside!

Aside from hundreds of Skunk Cabbage spathes and their greening leaves, we didn't find any spring flowers in bloom at Bog Meadow yesterday.  But we did see our first snake of the season -- this rusty-brown fellow slithering away as fast as it could, as we chased after, cameras clicking.

The snake darted into a sedge tussock and then stopped dead, with just its head protruding.  We were quite puzzled about what this snake could be, since we'd never seen one quite this color before.  But since its skin matched the color of the mud in the bottom of some brooks, we posited that perhaps this was simply a mud-stained Garter Snake.  One of our snake-expert friends, John Vanek, later suggested the same.

We were also delighted to see both species of early-spring butterflies, the Eastern Comma and the Mourning Cloak, wafting through the sunlit woods and teasing us by briefly landing just out of focal range for our cameras.  I'm sharing one of my file photos of a Mourning Cloak, just to document its presence on this date, and also to share my delight in seeing this gorgeous creature on this lovely sun-warmed day.

Today was even more spring-like than yesterday, so I got started early to make the rounds of some of my favorite nature spots.  First stop was the Skidmore woods, where I was astounded to find a single Hepatica plant with its flowers already opened. (The leaves had wintered over under the snow.)

This was the only blooming Hepatica I found in an acres-wide search, but one was enough for me to celebrate the start of their blooming season.  In a week, we will find them EVERYwhere!

My next stop was the Orra Phelps Preserve in Wilton,  where the creeks that had been ice-covered only a week before were now dancing and sparkling and free of all ice.

I didn't really believe I would find Snow Trillium today, since I had checked on them only 3 days ago and found not even a leaf tip showing.  But lo and behold, there they were, these darling little flowers that Orra herself must have planted here, since New York is far north of their native range.  This trillium blooms so suddenly after emerging, I wonder if their flowers are already fully formed before they emerge from the ground.

Since the day was still young, I next headed north to Mud Pond at Moreau, which was dazzling blue under a cloudless sky.  There were many waterfowl out on the choppy waters, but much too far away for my camera to capture their image.  A birder I encountered on the path informed me that there were Hooded Mergansers and Wood Ducks among the Mallards and Canada Geese out there.

I walked along the water's edge, hoping to spy some Spotted Newts or Whirligig Beetles or maybe some frog or toad tadpoles.  Those I did not see, but what a nice surprise to see this Painted Turtle swimming along close to shore, newly emerged from a winter spent under the mud.

So, a glorious day, indeed!  And the Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs were celebrating this spring-warm weather as well, as this video I took in the Skidmore woods today can attest.

More Spring Flowers, Underfoot and Overhead

Warmer today, nearly 50, but still dark and damp when I went for a rain-coated walk in Saratoga's Congress Park.  That's why I was really surprised to see this one Coltsfoot blossom defy the drizzle and open wide amid a big patch of others still tucked in tight.  Such a bright little sunburst of a flower, it reassures us that sunshine and warmth are truly on the way.

The Silver Maple is our earliest maple to bloom, with flowers much less conspicuous than those of Coltsfoot.  But they're still worth a closer look  -- if you can reach a branch and drag it down to eye level.  That's how I managed to see this sprightly cluster of pistillate flowers, as red as a cherry Twizzler.

All over the ground beneath the tree were twigs containing clumps of more flowers that looked a little different.  I picked up a broken-off twig and noticed that these were all staminate flowers, some with protruding anthers, but most with those anthers still undeveloped.  How odd that these flowers should have fallen from the tree before they had matured.  I wonder if squirrels have been biting off twigs so that they can lick the sweet sap.

I hadn't known that Silver Maples bore male and female flowers on the same tree.  I learn something new every day.

Springtime Comes to Spring Run

The paved pathway of Spring Run Trail on the east side of Saratoga Springs

offers easy walking (and terrific bird-watching!) during springtime's mud season.

If it hadn't been so damp, dark, and cold today, I would have been able to post a photo of the third flower of spring to come into bloom.  Oh heck, I'll post it anyway, even if it was closed up tight against the damp dark cold.  At least it was open enough so I could see its bright yellow buttons, strewn like gold coins along the edge of Spring Run Trail here in Saratoga Springs.  Even though it's not a native wildflower, I always love to find Coltsfoot, the first flower of spring that actually looks like a flower!

When the sun comes out again, those tight little blooms will open wide, and the trail will be lined with miniature sunbursts.  As for today, it was not only dark and cold, it also rained a bit.  I was glad to take shelter under a bridge until the shower lightened into little more than a mist.

In addition to the Coltsfoot, I found other splashes of color along the trail, including the bright-yellow branches of small willow trees.

Red Osier Dogwood also added its vivid coloration to the trailside swamp.

Here was another small tree (a willow, I believe) that had the most amazingly colorful branches of green, red, orange, and yellow, and they were also delightfully twisty and curly.  I wonder if this could be the ornamental willow called Curly Willow, escaped to this swamp from somebody's garden.

I puzzled over what this fruit-bearing shrub might be, until I got home and found a matching photo of its fruits and twigs in G. W. D. Symonds's  The Shrub Identification Book.  Another escapee from cultivation, no doubt, since this is Privet, the same shrub that gets trimmed into dense hedges around the garden, while it assumes a much more open pattern when left to its own devices in the wild.

All along the trail, I could see the curvaceous red spathes of Skunk Cabbage protruding from the mud, now opened wide to release this plant's distinctive "fragrance" on the springtime air.

The springtime air was also filled with the songs and calls of birds, who find the stream-side thickets and swamps along the Spring Run Trail very much to their liking.  The loudest of those calls were those of the Red-winged Blackbirds, sounding their shrill "conk-a-REE-ahs"  throughout every cattail stand.  I could hear Robins, too, singing their cheery rain songs.    The birds are convinced it's truly springtime, even if we humans still feel a little doubtful about it.

PS:  My friend Jens Zorn had some fun with my photo of Red Osier, using Photoshop and his own creative gifts to transform it into a Pollock-like action painting.  I just had to share it here:

Another Baby-step Toward Spring

Chilly and dark today, compared to yesterday's sunlit warmth.  But a return to Mud Pond at Moreau revealed the inexorable progress toward spring that's occurring now.  Behold, the ice is mostly gone from the pond!  And so is the snow from most of the woods (excepting a few deep hollows).  But the big excitement today was finding this tiny flower:  the itty-bitty red sprout of an American Hazelnut female flower.  The second flower of spring!  Hooray!

I found just a few of the female flowers showing this lipstick-red fringe, and I don't believe they are open enough yet to receive any air-borne pollen from the male catkins.  As of yet, there is no pollen on the air, anyway, since the scales of the catkins are still tightly closed.

Give us a few more sunny warm days, though, and flower love will soon fill the air!