Sunday, April 10, 2016

April 6, 2016...A Walk at Garbry Big Woods Sanctuary (before the next onslaught of nasty weather)

 Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) Purslane Family

We weren't sure the day would be bright enough for the Spring Beauties to be open. They close in cloudy weather and before rain storms.  The day brightened just enough when we walked into the woods. Their petals were spread wide.  These were older flowers so they were pinker and the "bee lines" the bees and other insects follow to the nectar were visible.

Sessile Trillium (Trillium sessile) Lily Family...also called Toadshade

This was the first day we saw Sessile Trillium open.  I like this photo because the veins in the petals show in a delicate pattern.  The petals are very dark so often the veins are hard to see and even harder to photograph.

Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) Buttercup Family...sometimes called Windflower

This was another first flower for us for this spring.  The Sessile Trillium  petals are dark maroon in the photo as they usually are, especially in the shade.

Trout-lily (Erythronium americanum) Lily Family...sometimes called Adder's-tongue

These were the first we have seen this year.  Their blooming span is very short, shorter than most of the other ephemeral flowers of spring.  I was glad we chose this day to walk.

Cutleaf Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata) Mustard Family

Once we found the first Cutleaf Toothwort, we found many more.

Bloodroot leaves

We found lots of these leaves, their flowers gone.  We kept looking and we found a few still blooming.  This is another flower with an extremely short blooming span.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) Poppy Family

Drooping Trillium (Trillium flexipes) Lily Family

We were pleased to see the drooping trillium beginning to show themselves.  We found the leaves of the Large-flowered or White Trillium, too.  This sepals of this one had opened enough so we could see the white petals.  In a week or so the Drooping Trillium and Large-flowered Trillium will carpet the sanctuary.  The leaves of the two trilliums are somewhat different in shape.

Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) Lily Family

Tom spotted one small cluster of Blue Cohosh flowers.  He decided to wait until there were showier clusters but I took this photo with my little camera.

Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) Barberry Family

Finally Tom found what he wanted most to photograph...

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) Poppy Family


Monday, April 4, 2016

April, 2016...When Will Spring Be Here to Stay?

March 30 was a beautiful day.  Tom and I walked at Charleston Falls.  Both of us took photos.  Tom snapped this Eastern Comma Butterfly as it sat on the trail in front of him.

Eastern Comma

March 31 started with a two hour loss of our electricity when high winds blew power lines against one another and that blew out a major transformer for the Tipp City area.

April 1 brought a variety of weather...sun and balmy weather followed by wind, cold, and rain.

April 2 brought us 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the late morning followed later in the day by falling temperatures, gusts of wind, heavy rain, and tiny flat squares of snow, (I've never seen precipitation like it in 77 years),  For a short time the snow was flying horizonally.  A branch, three inches in diameter, landed on the eaves of a neighbor's house.  Its twigs touched the front sidewalk.

I decided to cover the Bleeding heart plant and the Flowering Viburnum with its bright buds since there was a  freeze warning.

Bleeding Heart, close up of tiny developing hearts

Viburnum buds

April 3 at 7 AM...


Behind the platform birdfeeder is the covered Flowering Viburnum.

Later in the morning, I uncovered the viburnum and the bleeding heart.  Both seem to be fine although the bleeding heart looked a bit forlorn, as though it had a rough  night.



 
April 4...55 degrees Fahrenheit at 8 AM


But...freezing temperatures are expected again tonight. Ugh!  Is this a prolonged April Fool's joke?