Views
- New visitor information kiosks have replaced the Gifford House visitor center. Visitor passes are no longer required. See the IES web site for more details.
- The Gifford Gardens are awakening, most visibly the Saucer Magnolia behind the Carriage House.
- The first sulphur butterflies I've seen this season were in the Old Hayfields.
- Looking like the day after Thanksgiving, a turkey (or pheasant, I suspect) carcass lay in the middle of the Wappinger Creek trail.
- Dog violets still only in leaf carpeted the sides of the trail.
- Clear evidence of beaver was abundant at the "Appendix".
- A handsome moth of the inchworm family blended in along the Cary Pines trail.
- The Fern Glen was rich with the furry stemed hepatica; they range from blue to white.
- Japanese primrose is pretty, but alien and invasive; this area was cleared of them last season, but they're back!
- Siberian Squill doesn't sound native either...
- Marsh marigold was well under way.
- Painted turtles and American green frogs were out in the sun today.
- Spring beauty was coming up in many places in the Glen.
- White trillium was ready to bloom...
- ... and bloodroot had just started.
- Dutchman's breeches were just starting by the Cobble too.
- Colt's foot was coming up in several places around the pond.
- While looking down at everything in the Glen, I always had an ear up and caught the bubbling of winter wren and Louisiana waterthrush towards the Creek and the croak of a raven overhead.
- By the time I was back to the Gifford House, it had clouded over, but it was still pleasantly mild.
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Birds
- 1 Ring-necked Pheasant
- 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
- 1 Downy Woodpecker
- 4 Eastern Phoebe
- 3 American Crow
- 6 Black-capped Chickadee
- 2 White-breasted Nuthatch
- 3 Brown Creeper
- 1 Winter Wren
- 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- 2 Eastern Bluebird
- 2 American Robin
- 1 Louisiana Waterthrush
- 2 Eastern Towhee
- 1 Field Sparrow
- 4 Song Sparrow
- 1 Brown-headed Cowbird
Butterflies
- 1 Cabbage White
- 2 Clouded Sulphur
Moths
Plants in Bloom
- Bloodroot
- Carolina Spring Beauty
- Colt's Foot
- Daffodil
- Dutchman's Breeches
- Hepatica
- Marsh Marigold
- Myrtle
- Rue Anemone
- Spring Beauty
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