Leaving behind early spring for the tropics!

As you know, spring has sprung early, and flowers and frogs have emerged ahead of schedule. While hiking this week around the Nature Center this week, I stumbled across Blue Cohosh(below), a wildflower I typically associate with May in this area, not mid-April. Notice how fresh the flowers look, and the six yellow-and-green stamen at the center of each flower are open to varying degrees. The plant times its flowering so that a steady flow of fresh flowers are available for early insects, such as bumblebees, to pollinate.



I leave first thing tomorrow morning for Nicaragua, and by the time I return, the Blue Cohosh won't look so fresh. And other beautiful wildflowers that define early spring, like Dutchman's Breeches and Blood Root, may be long gone. The new birds will continue to arrive, but I won't be here to greet them. I'll be having my own adventure, and I'll just have to dive right back into Vermont spring after my mind has been shattered by the tropics. Until then, adios amigos!

Amphibian Crossing 4/7/10

First Spring Wildflowers & Peepers Galore

A host of the early spring flowers were in bloom at the Nature Center today. Blood Root was poking through the leaves by the river, and although I didn't go to check, the Colt's Foot was undoubtedly up by the Stump Dump Road.

The last wildflower I encountered, and my favorite of the bunch, is the February Daphne. It's fragrance is so strong that you can smell the sweet aroma from feet away. The overpowering odor would do well to reverse the smell of two cats in my apartment, but I'd think twice before yanking this shrub out of the ground. The leaves of the plant, which are barely opening when it's pink flowers first go into bloom, are poisonous to the touch and can cause irritation and blisters. Eating its berries can result in death.



The succession of wet and warm weather last week was good for more than just the wildflowers. A loud chorus of Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs rang from the beaver ponds, getting especially noisy towards the early evening. This is early spring at its best!