Birds and Blooms

Here is your first list of in bloom flowers and interesting bird sightings for the 2013 season!

Flowers
Snow Drops
Skunk Cabbage
a very small cress  species

Birds
Phoebe
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Wood Ducks
Mallards
Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron
Red-shouldered Hawk
Turkey and Black Vultures
and all the regular winter feeder birds.

There are a few other things coming up. I saw a trout lily leaf (there were probably more), bluebell leaves, cut-leaf toothwort, and many spring beauty leaves. In fact I did find one just opened spring beauty flower, but it was off-trail. I saw that particular plant on my way to check on the blue cohosh. It is a pretty early wildflower and I know of a spot on a southern facing slope where there is a small group of them. Here is what they look like right now.

**So I started this post Friday afternoon, and had a problem uploading the pictures. I decided to come back to it this morning (Sat.), but the problem remains. So no pictures with this post…Sorry!

Anyway, the point is that the temperatures may be brrrr chilly, but spring is springing anyway. This time of year is great to see what micro climates can do. Do you have flowers in southern facing area? Do they bloom earlier than others? Do you live in the city and get trees blooming before those is rural areas? Or do you live (or work) in a cool valley where it takes a little more time for the soil to warm and flowers to pop? Take a walk in your neighborhood and see how many different micro climates you can find!