On the Trails of
The Cary Institute

Trail Report for May 14, 2008

75°F, clear and calm at 1:30 PM but cloudy and windy by 5 PM.
Last week - between trail reports - foamflower, rhodora, goldthread, blue phlox and gaywings were in blossom.
It started out quiet today, but got interesting towards the end.

The air felt cool when I started, but soon I was shedding my long sleeve shirt and stuffing it into a cargo pocket.
Along the Cary Pines Trail, a young deer was shedding too.
Choke cherry was blossoming at the exit to the Fern Glen.
Along the creek side of Cary Pines, starflower was common.
Idly enjoying the bench at the Appendix, I noticed a small deer across the creek - then I noticed it was actually a bobcat. The first 2 of 3 photos were just the tail.
Honeysuckle bush was blooming in the Old Pasture - as well as everywhere else.

By the parking lot, an azalea was in blossom.
I was amused by the visiting bee flies, fuzzy brown balls with wings ablurr.
A single painted turtle was basking at the pond's edge; and no water snakes at all.
In the limestone cobble, foamflower was newly blooming.
blue phlox had started last week.
Great white trillium was turning pink in age.
Near the acid cobble, baneberry was blooming.
Yellow lady's-slipper was just about to burst open.
Several shrubs were flowering in the poor fen.
Rhodora had started last week and bog rosmary was new this week.
Near the kiosk, the colony of may-apple was just beginnig to bloom.