Pink Lady’s Slipper (PLS) is now in bloom, and we are excited this year to let you know that there are a couple of blooms easily seen from the trail. We will be happy to give you directions when you arrive here at the preserve.

Other new flowers in bloom include:

May Apple

Greek Valerian

Avens sp.

Black Jet Bead

Strawberry Bush (Calacanthus floridus)

Blackhaw

 Foam Flower

Nice patch of Violet Wood Sorrel

Showy Orchis is now in bloom – hooray for our first orchid of the season! 

Other new flowers in bloom are:

Spring Cress

Wild Geranium

Creeping Phlox

Bugle

Solomon’s Seal

Violet Wood Sorrel

New birds include (but are not limited to!):

Wood Thrush

Hooded Warbler

Great-crested Flycatcher

Cerulean Warbler

Red-headed Woodpecker (see our Facebook page – link is on the right)

Red-eyed Vireo

Enjoy a few pictures of some of the in bloom spring wildflowers!

 Creeping Phlox

 A pink Bluebell

Large-flowered Trillium

What are the three “Bs”? Birds, Beetles, and Butterflies of course! Wait, beetles?? Yes, if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I love bugs! And I have a couple of cool pics of some super handsome beetles. Additionally, this will be a special list because I will add some butterflies to it. Oh, and I guess we should add a “W” to this for all the wildflowers that are blooming!

So let’s start with the beetles…

This handsome devil is a Pleasing Fungus Beetle. Not to be confused with a Burying Beetle who is also bedecked with striking orange and black markings. The elytra (the fore wings which have hardened in the beetles and are generally not used for flying) in the burying beetles does not extend down to the end of the abdomen. The pleasing fungus beetles have elytra that do extend all the way down and cover the entire abdomen.

Next, is a real beauty. This is a very large female Blister Beetle. Just like the burying beetles, her elytra do not extend to the end of the abdomen. She is also the most exquisite metallic blue color. Seen in the sun, it is amazing! As the name suggests, when defending themselves, they can release an irritating substance from the rear. Handle with care!

The next “B” is for Butterflies. Several species have been sighted now that the weather has moderated. Here they are:

Question Mark/Comma (didn’t have binocs to confirm which one!)

Mourning Cloak

Dusky Wing sp.

Tiger Swallowtail

Spring Azure

Okay, on to birds! Lots of things have been moving through and so we’ve seen and heard several species one day, then they were gone the next. Some examples of this are the Black-throated Green Warbler, Black and White Warbler, and Palm Warbler. Some of the birds are “our” birds that nest here. Just this weekend we’ve identified two different Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher nests! Also back are the White-eyed Vireos, and Brown-headed Cowbirds. Lots of things keep appearing, and our facebook page is a great place for updates. If you haven’t seen it yet, there is a neat video of a Cape May Warbler at the feeders!

Alright, next up are the flowers. Now I have to let you know that I’ve been trying to get this post completed and up for over a week and a half! Consequently, some things, like the Serviceberry and Trout Lily have bloomed and finished already. I hope you were able to see them some place else. Here is the list of current new flowers in bloom, followed by a few pictures. Enjoy!

Large Flowered Bellwort
Large Flowered Trillium
Toadshade Trillium
Marsh Marigold
Pale Violet
Long-spur Violet
Braun’s Hybrid Violet
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Virginia Bluebells
Celendine Poppy
Wild Blue Phlox
Yellow Violet
Swamp Buttercup
Thyme-leaved Speedwell
Flowering Dogwood
Redbud
Crabapple sp.
Bishop’s Cap

 Spring Beauty

 Virginia Bluebells

Celendine Poppy

Bloodroot is a favorite among spring wildflower enthusiasts. The flower’s ephemeral nature and early arrival make it easy to love. So let’s take a closer look at this jewel of the woodlands and find out a little more about it!

On a warm sunny day in April one of the first bloodroots will open their pure white flowers with bright yellow centers. Composed of 8 to 12 white petals, the flower itself is arranged in what we call radial symmetry. That is, the petals are radiating out from the center of the flower like the spokes on a wheel. The yellow center contains the pistil and stamens all ready for early flying pollinators like flies and native bees. According to Carol Gracie in her wonderful book, Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast, the primary pollinators are andrenid bees. You can see picture of them here. Nighttime darkness and cloudy days will cause the flower to close. This helps to protect the flower from early spring elements when conditions are not quite right for those pollinators to be out and about.

Once pollinated, the petals quickly drop off and the seed start to develop. Although cross pollination achieved by insects is ideal, this flower can also self pollinate. If cross pollination has not been achieved after a couple of days then self-pollination takes place.

The single leaf enters the world tightly wrapped around the flower bud. As the flower stalk rises up and the flower begins to bloom the leaf will also unfurl and grow towards the sun. The leaf has much greater staying power than the flower and will persist well into the summer. 

Also, not all bloodroot plants will actually flower each spring. We have many bloodroot plants that only send up a leaf. They may be immature or just resting, as producing a flower takes a lot of energy. It may take some time to manufacture and store enough energy to produce one of these gorgeous flowers. 

Either after the flower blooms or there is just a leaf, it fans out and has a distinctive shape. Some liken it to Batman with his cape spread out. What do you think?

Here is an interesting specimen. This plant only developed 4 petals.

The sap from this plant is a bright red color. This sap has been used as a dye by Native Americans and early colonists. There is a long history of medicinal uses by Native Americans as well. In the 1990s scientists discovered the alkaloid, sanguinarine within the sap. This substance was widely used in toothpastes and mouthwashes as an anti-plaque substance until some bad side effects were known.

So, as we are a Nature Preserve I don’t want to intentionally injure on of our bloodroot plants, so here is a link to a photo of the sap on bugguide.net.

I had help from a couple of great sources for this post:

Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast by Carol Gracie – you can view her blog here
and
The Book of Forest and Thicket by John Eastman

Things are moving right along and I have a new list of birds and blooms for you! First, lets have some fun pictures of the colorful things in bloom right now. 

Bloodroot is one of our earliest spring wildflowers. It seem to pop out of the ground on a warm sunny day. These beauties only last a day or two and only open to the sun. We have several populations growing in a couple of different micro climates which extends the time we can see them. How lucky for us!

Coltsfoot is not a native wildflower, but is a welcome site nonetheless. Its bright, sunny face lines roadways and other disturbed areas bringing us some much needed cheer after a long winter.

Common blue violet is loved and hated by many. An aggressive seeder it can invade a lawn area quickly. Okay by me but not to others who prefer a grass only lawn. For me, the sea of purple when these guys bloom is a beautiful site.

Confederate violet is a cultivated variety that only grows around the Nature Center. It has a large bloom and is a reliably early bloomer.

One of the little flowers that will bring a blush of blue to the yard areas is really captivating up close. You can see some of the dark veining that can help guide pollinators to the good at the center of the flower.

For those of you who saw last week’s post with the just opened spicebush flower, here is one fully opened.  A bunch of these shrubs in bloom can have look like a mist of yellow-green in the woods. A really cool sight.

Finally, a delicate looking Rue Anemone greets us along the Casa Burro Trail. They are actually very hardy and tend to be in bloom for a while. The slightest breeze will make them quiver giving rise to another common name, Wind Flower.

Okay, here’s your latest list!

Flowers:

Common Blue Violet

Confederate Violet

Speedwell sp.

Gill-over-the-Ground

Bloodroot

Rue Anemone

Spring Beauty

Birds:

Yellow-throated Warbler

Chipping Sparrow

…to be a snail!

…to be a salamander egg mass…

…to be a trout lily leaf…

…to be a Glory-of-the-Snow flower…

  …to be a gander goose waiting on your new family to hatch…

The first thing these shy guys do is peek out from behind the shutters. Got to make sure the way is clear! Note their large eyes for seeing in the dark.

Leaping out from the safety of the shutters, he’s got his eye on the prize!

I love this one. It totally looks like he’s diving. Don’t be fooled by these pics. This is all happening really fast. It’s peek, jump, grab, jump back to the shutter, and eat the seed. Don’t blink too much or you’ll miss it. 

While this one chooses he seed, you can really get a good look at those big eyes. Also you can see where that important flap of skin is. Right now of course, it’s all folded up because he’s not using it. In this picture and the next you can get a good look at his very flat tail. He will use it as a rudder to help guide him during his glide.

Flying squirrels are pretty cute, I’ll admit and they are chock full of cool adaptations to help them survive. Try a look-see at night sometime, you may be surprised at what you find!

Some bees, in their quest for the sugary treat flowers offer up to ensure cross pollination, cheat. Yes, I’m afraid it’s so. Some bees will chew holes at the base of a flower to get at the nectar. Several bees I watched yesterday simply took advantage of the space between petals. You may need to click on the picture to make it bigger.

This is fine for the bee, who gets his or her dose of energy, but it doesn’t help the flower out much. Not that this species of bee is responsible for pollinating this flower. Not all insects that visit flowers are pollinators. Well, they could be, but just not for that specific plant. Some flowers have evolved a defense against nectar robbing. The catchflies, Silene, have a sticky substance at the base of their flowers to make it harder for anyone to bypass their reproductive parts.

Here is a bee doing things the proper way.

This fellow sure had to perform some interesting acrobatics to reach his reward. 

My best guess is that these bees are from the genus, Colletes. Otherwise known as cellophane bees. These small bees were happily sipping nectar from the patch of Snow Drops growing on the upper terrace. 

Tomorrow is the official start of Spring. How fitting that several new spring heralding things are happening at Wahkeena!

Most notably, today is our first open day of the 2014 season! Yea! It’s a bit of a soggy start, but much better than say the opening day of 2011. Check out what that day was like here. 

Spring signs abound today despite the cool, wet weather. A Pine Warbler is singing and so is a Phoebe. Many of our resident birds like the Chickadees, Titmice, Song Sparrows, and Cardinals are also singing songs of love and territory. Also singing for the first time this spring are…Wood Frogs! A sure sign that spring is here. 

The Goose Wars are beginning to heat up. This afternoon, even the male Mallard got involved. During a lull in the honking and posturing a muskrat swam across the pond. 

Will we have salamander activity tonight or later this week? Don’t know for sure, but we hope so! Salamanders are a sure sign of spring!

So this picture isn’t the greatest, but i wanted to share it with you anyway.

If you look carefully at the center of the photo, you will see two reddish blobs in the shape of hawks. There are two Red-shouldered hawks that have paired up! There has been a lot of calling, and chasing from these guys the past couple of weeks, but it looks like things have been sorted out and mates have been chosen. To hear the call of this bird click here. We’ve never been able to locate the nest of a pair of these birds, but we know that if they aren’t nesting on the preserve property, they are very close by. 

Red-shouldered hawks are common hawks and enjoy habitat in riparian areas. If you haven’t seen our captive Red-shouldered hawk yet, make sure to stop out and check him out. They are strikingly colored, and a treat to see up-close. 

We’ll be open in less than two weeks! Opening day is March 19th!