Preparing for Spring

naturalist — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:49:01 +0000

It’s the time of year where we just seem to have one bleary day after another. But there’s hope on the horizon as my daffodils have popped up ready to bolt with the first week of warm and sunny weather. So taking my cue from the daffodils, I went out and marked the trees at the house I will be watching for Project BudBurst.

The project uses citizens like us to record the emergence of buds tracking the progress of spring. I really enjoyed doing this last year and would encourage you to try it as well. Simply look at the list of trees and plants for your area, choose which one you’ll watch, then make a point to take a peek to note the changes.

I’ve marked our Eastern Redbud today with a little strip of colored ribbon to remind me to look. I pass the tree every day on my way to the car so it’s super easy to remember to observe the tree changes. The Project BudBurst site makes it convenient for me to make my observation entries online and I get a little burst of happiness each day as I watch this little tree respond to the changes of the season.

Spring Ephemerals

Peg Cherre — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:06:15 +0000

Spring is absolutely my favorite season. I just love watching tiny leaves and buds emerge. Somehow they bring me even more pleasure than seeing things in full bloom. Part of it is surely the temperature, which I find more agreeable in spring than in the heat of summer.

I take regular walks in the woods – Pfeiffer Nature Center’s woods, my own, and those belonging to friends and neighbors. Here’s what I found in the woods yesterday.

Spring beauties – their name says it all! Tiny, delicate flowers with deeply-colored petal veins, I have to tear myself away from studying them. Spring beauties are almost done blooming now, but you can still find some.

Trillium – white, painted, and the deep burgundy, which I know by the common name of wake-robin. With the white flowers the most common and the painteds the least, I find all the trilliums captivating.

Another beauty out right now is the wood anemone. Delicate white flowers wave atop broad green leaves, inviting me into the shade.

Although you may find some near you, in my woods, at least, the trout lilies are done.

But you can still pick a batch of leeks and saute them for supper. Or if you’re patient and have the know-how, go for some fiddleheads. Like all wild-food foraging, make sure you know what you’re doing before eating anything!

And if you think of picking wildflowers, make sure you first check to see if they’re protected. Even if they’re not, it’s always best to follow the 10-to-1 rule: leave 10 plants in an area where you pick 1. That way you ensure the next generation of plants.

Enjoy the beauty of spring, and let me know what blooms are tickling your fancy!

Peg Cherre, Nature Center Director

Pfeiffer Nature Center & Foundation » spring

Preparing for Spring

Spring Ephemerals