The Trails
- Weeding in the Fern Glen last week I came face to face with a newly emerged dragon fly still clinging to the shell of its former self.
- At that time the big brother of bishop's cap - and relative of the perhaps more familiar coral bells - was blooming: alumroot.
- Close up it looks like it could be from another planet.
- It was sunny that afternoon - too warm for the first red-spotted purple of the season to allow my approach as it basked on the road. But it followed me into the Glen and dropped onto a leaf right in front of me.
- All around the pond and in the fen cinnamon fern was putting up its namesake fertile fronds.
- Carnivorous plants in the fen - pitcher plant and thread-leaved sundew were blooming and, well, eating.
- The more conventional Labrador tea was also in bloom.
- Up ahead, as I left the fen via the shrub swamp, I could see pink: swamp azalea!
- By this week's walk there was little left of the azalea, but other things were happening...
- It sprinkled during the entire walk this week - not good for butterflies, but you can walk very quietly.
- Right at the pond's edge blue flag iris were blooming.
- Along the Wappinger Creek Trail maple-leaved viburnum was in various stages of bloom.
- In more open areas dewberry - the bane of kids in short pants - was offering nectar.
- Behind the Carriage House was a line up of fine shrubs.
- The first, Kolkwitzia or beauty bush, was very pretty close up.
- I couldn't find an ID tag in it, but I did find a nest complete with blue eggs. It must be a robin's.
- The next one looked more familiar, and turned out to be the yellow form of Calycanthus or sweet shrub.
- Buckeye I did remember; it was past its prime now, but it has lasted over a month!
- Everybody knows rhododendron if not the spelling.
- Heading towards the Scots Pine Alleé I came across something I'd never noticed before. A closer look confirmed this was new to me. It was old man's beard or Chionanthus.
- In the Old Gravel Pit section of the Cary Pines trail was the familiar penstemon.
- The origin of the common name, beardtongue is obvious.
- Farther along was alternate-leaved or pagoda dogwood; its layered form I find very appealing.
- It's blooms were on the way out and so was I.
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Birds
- 1 Red-tailed Hawk
- 1 Mourning Dove
- 1 Belted Kingfisher
- 2 Eastern Wood-Pewee
- 1 Eastern Phoebe
- 1 Great Crested Flycatcher
- 1 Red-eyed Vireo
- 5 Blue Jay
- 1 American Crow
- 1 Tree Swallow
- 4 Black-capped Chickadee
- 1 House Wren
- 2 Veery
- 4 Wood Thrush
- 10 American Robin
- 3 Gray Catbird
- 1 European Starling
- 1 Cedar Waxwing
- 2 Yellow Warbler
- 1 Pine Warbler
- 1 Prairie Warbler
- 1 Black-and-white Warbler
- 1 Ovenbird
- 2 Louisiana Waterthrush
- 1 Scarlet Tanager
- 5 Eastern Towhee
- 2 Chipping Sparrow
- 5 Field Sparrow
- 3 Song Sparrow
- 1 Northern Cardinal
- 1 Brown-headed Cowbird
- 1 Baltimore Oriole
- 4 American Goldfinch
Plants
- Blue flag
- Maple-leaved viburnum
- Dewberry
- Penstemon
- Alternate-leaved dogwood
- Beauty bush
- Sweet shrub
- Old man's beard
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