May 12, 2019: Happy Mother's Day!

Did you get your fiddleheads yet?

Fiddleheads push up through warming soil

The ferns have been pushing up through the spring earth, and though I don't harvest them myself, Picnic Rock Farm has had them and they've been awfully good.  And fiddleheads are highly nutritious, packed with vitamins, anti-oxidants, iron, manganese, and copper.  It's a short season, so if you want some you need to act quickly.

The fern above is a cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea - how appropriate for it to have "mom" in its name), which is not the preferred fern to eat;  that would be the ostrich fern (Matteuceuia struthiopteris) which has much less husk that needs to be removed.

Another plant growing rapidly is the aspen which has the largest leaves right now, and based on the abundant flowers is probably a major source of pollen at this point.

Aspen burst out leaves and flowers early in the season

Other trees have only buds or small leaves, which provides an opportunity to see birds flitting around in their branches, eagerly devouring the early insects after their long flights from distant wintering grounds.

Only buds and blossoms on this tree

A yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) hunts amid bare branches over the lake

Another nature-watcher had a visit from one of our most vibrant song birds, the scarlet tanager.

Scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea)     Photo by Anne Crane.

This beautiful bird probably just returned from its flight across the Gulf of Mexico, having spent its winter down in south America.  Ann noted it's the first time she's seen a scarlet tanager at the lake.  Thanks for sharing!

If you pass by the dam at the outlet of Lake Wicwas you are likely to see a Canada goose on patrol.

The gander patrols its nesting grounds

I'm pretty sure there's a nest there along the shoreline based on the way it stood its ground (water?) as I paddled by, protecting the female which would be on the nest incubating eggs.

It was nice to get out on the water again for my first excursion of the year.

Though sometimes you don't even have to leave your house, as nature comes to you.

A lone turkey struts down the road

Linda watched this young deer right through the window.

One or two more warm days and the landscape in the Lakes Region will transform quickly from bare branches to the lime-green of early summer.  Only a short window remains to get out and enjoy the world before the onslaught of biting insects arrives.

To all the mothers out there, I hope you have a special day!