Happy Mother’s Day 2018

Star Magnolia

Daffodil

Red Trillium

Wild Serviceberry (Amelanchier, Juneberry, Shadbush)

Wild Serviceberry in full bloom

Photos by NB Hunter (May, 2018). © All Rights Reserved.

Searching for Spring in 2018

Despite the cold, late spring, I started searching for wild flowers in late April.  The search is a rite of spring, even if there’s snow in the air and it makes no sense whatsoever.

The flower buds of willow shrubs were on hold (April 27),

As were the new shoots of False Hellebore after a freezing rain (April 29).

Desperate for color in a wintry April landscape, I detoured to the edge of a wetland and discovered a reliable indicator of the advancing season: Skunk Cabbage (April 29).

Finally, the weather took a serious turn for the better. The season of renewal erupted, with April events spilling over into early May. Migrating birds, black flies, wildflowers, baby animals, mud…..Spring!

Bloodroot

A Rails-to-Trails recreation path, with willow shrubs in bloom (May 5)

The early blooms of willow shrubs (May 3), a lifeline for hungry bees

Marsh Marigold (May 5)

A tumbling brook, swollen by melting snow and frequent rain (May 5)

White Trillium (May 5)

Red Trillium (May 5)

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Wildflower Favorites

Early spring wildflowers, the spring ephemerals, are vivid reminders of the fragile beauty and existence of life on earth. They tease and please with spectacular, short-lived blooms. They always leave us wanting more, and we’re quite willing to wait another year for another show. It never gets old.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier), a small flowering tree

Marsh Marigold in the wet soil along a small stream

White Trillium, a woodland wildflower favoring rich, moist soils (1 of 2)

Red Trillium in filtered light on a rich woodland site

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Early May Highlights, 2016

I’ve captured a sample of early May in Central New York, often dodging rain drops in the process. My mother had more than a passing interest in nature and would have loved this post.

She liked flowers, cultivated or wild, didn’t much matter.

Fading glory: Red Trillium in a moist ravine, past peak bloom

Willow (one of many species of wild willow shrubs)

Wild Juneberry (also Serviceberry, Amelanchier or Shadbush)

She kept a bird feeder and enjoyed her backyard visitors. Early May was peak migration and full of surprises.

Goldfinch perched near a Nyjer seed feeder

Of course everyone loves babies. These family photos would have been plastered all over the wall (and the real family photos pushed aside)!

Family of Canadian Geese (there were 8 goslings in all, just a few days old)

Bald Eagle, tearing small pieces from a kill to feed her 3 youngsters

Raising young is a team effort: parent #2 arrives with a duck in its grasp (determined from another image in the sequence)!

Happy Mother’s Day

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

 

Red Trillium

In memory of a friend, former colleague at Morrisville State College and pillar of the Morrisville Community Church, “Big Lou”.

Our native Red Trillium, this morning:

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

A Back-lit Day

The better part of my Mother’s Day walks were spent looking into the sun, sometimes by design, but often due to circumstances beyond my control. Needless to say, the effects were transformative and the experience enlightening!!!

Red Squirrel (hiding from me)

Marsh Marigold

Warbler (foraging for insects on the new foliage of Sugar Maple)

Marsh Marigold

Birch tree and clouds in evening sun

Red Trillium

Black Willow trees (light green color) in a wetland

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Mother’s Day Gems

Spring in the North, you gotta love it! Galleries of world class images can’t fully capture the moments; there are too many intangibles whirling around, evading descriptive words and fancy gear. The last 72 hours have left me with a flood of memories, some made a bit more lasting with visual reminders. Mom would have loved this post!

Trout Lily, with insect pollinators

Red-tailed Hawk

White (Large-flowered) Trillium

White Trillium

Chipmunk

Red (Wake-robin, Birthroot, Purple) Trillium

Red Trillium

Turkey Vulture gliding in to its tree-top roost

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Spring Colors in Macro

Many of the early spring wildflowers can be found on short walks in woodland habitats where soils are reasonably moist, fertile and undisturbed.

In this immediate area, the Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) bloom has peaked, Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) is approaching full bloom, and the flower buds of Red Trillium (Trillium erectum) are just starting to open. The vivid colors of these species are a welcome contrast to our extended period of overcast skies and cool, rainy weather!

Trout Lily 1May2014

Bloodroot 3May2014

Trout Lily 1May2014

Bloodroot 1May2014

Red Trillium 3May14

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Spring Wildflowers – The Trilliums

In late April and early May I look for trilliums (or hope for a call from a friend to tell me they’ve started to bloom). It’s a rite of spring. They’re among the first and most visible of the woodland wildflowers to bloom and are easily identified by their large three-leaf and three-petal form. The Trillium bloom signals the bloom of bellwort, Trout Lily, violets, Marsh Marigold, Bloodroot and other spring wild flowers as well.

I know of three species of trillium in the area: White (Large-flowered), Red (Wake-robin, Birthroot or Purple Trillium) and Painted Trillium. White Trillium is the largest and most abundant, sometimes forming spectacular carpets across the forest floor. I may find a handful of Red Trillium in a carpet of thousands of White Trillium, something I can’t explain.  Both occur on rich woodland sites that are usually dominated by Sugar Maple and a variety of hardwood associates.

Deer and livestock can devastate wild flower populations, and the trilliums are no exception. 25 years after cattle grazing was discontinued on my property, I discovered my first Red Trillium, but the blossoms were soon browsed by deer.  I was determined to win the battle and protected the remaining plant with a small garden fence. It is now thriving and several plants are currently in bloom. This experience explains, in part, why I often find an abundance of wildflowers on rugged, steep hillsides near roads – places where deer pressure is low and livestock are absent.

Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum)

Red (Wake-robin, Birthroot, Purple) Trillium (Trillium erectum)

White (Large-flowered) Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

A woodland carpet of White Trillium; Quinn’s Woods