May 8, 2022: Buds and Blossoms

Last week the red maple and the trailing arbutus - two of the earliest plants to wake up in the spring - were on display.  This week things really got moving with a lot more gearing up for summer, including some small but pretty flowers.

Common violet (Viola papilionacea)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

It's not surprising that the tiniest flowers - the arbutus - were first to bloom, followed by slightly larger blossoms, with the largest ones - think sunflowers - not blooming until late in the summer.  And then just yesterday I saw my first trillium of the year, a purple one.

Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum)

With the early head start on most other trees, the red maples are already forming small red leaves on their branches.

Early red maple leaves.

Black cherries have also put out leaves and are now forming buds that will turn into bouquets of delicate white flowers, and eventually cherries.

Black cherry (Prunus serotina)

The blueberry buds are swelling and will burst out soon.

Blueberries getting ready for summer eating.

That always gets me thinking of blueberry pancakes even though I know I still have two months to wait.

The oaks are always the laggard in the forest, whether it's putting out the leaves in the spring or hanging on to them late into fall.  But they are forming buds now, and some of them will survive long enough to become leaves.  Others will meet a different fate:

Look at that tasty morsel.

No leaves on that twig!

As the compost pile has warmed up and started cooking again we've had some visitors digging in it overnight so I set out the camera to see who our late night dinner guests are.  My first guess was correct:

This nice plump raccoon seems to have survived the winter just fine.

But it also has a least one other dining companion sharing the table.

A turkey looks for discarded seeds.

The turkeys are just picking over the dry plant debris, not digging down into the pile like the raccoon looking for more substantial items.  I guess I need to bury new additions to the pile a bit deeper.

We have seen plenty of of turkeys around the lakes as well as signs of them digging in the leaves throughout the woods; I hope they're eating lots of tics!

Scouring the woods for seeds and bugs.

Scratching up leaves - the dry land version of the snowy egret scratching in the mud in Shem Creek.

Wishing you all a Happy Mother's Day!

Sweet White Violets for Mom!