The Merry Month of May!

Spring arrived early in April this year and then it decided to go somewhere else for a month or so. Today was the first day since April 10th that we had seasonal temperatures. The trees and flowers were too far ahead in April so the cool down was good, especially as we have had early morning frosts the last few days. Today was perfect for a walk in the spring woods.

Our neighbours have a beautiful crab apple tree on their front lawn that will be in full bloom tomorrow. I was admiring the buds yesterday and they said, "The flowers will last just a couple of days and then they are done."

It is true that spring flowers do not last all that long, and woodland ephemerals are perhaps the most rushed blooms of all. They must store food to last for a year before the forest canopy comes into full leaf and shades the ground. 

Jack in the Pulpits are one of the later ephemerals to bloom in the spring after the early Bloodroot, Trout Lilies, Spring Beauties, Hepatica, Wild Ginger, Wake Robins and Trilliums are done. (These are the prevalent  wildflowers of this particular plot). I found a couple of early bloomers in the warmer end of the woods. This was one of the first wild flowers I learned to recognize as a child and I still love their fanciful shape. 

A young man stopped us and asked where the pink and green striped trilliums were located. A friend of his, who was impressed with the wildflower display, encouraged him to walk through the bush and see the different colours of trilliums. Trilliums turn pink as they age and a bacterial infection causes the flowers of some plants to have green stripes and misshapen leaves. The green flower is eyecatching, but the plant will not survive for long. 

I was watching for birds and heard a few warblers high in the trees. One White-breasted Nuthatch flew in front of us, but migrating species were hard to find. Warblers move so quickly, it is hard to get a picture without a lot of time and patience. I got one chance at a quick shot of a Palm Warbler before it flew off, but there were Yellow Warblers and American Redstarts around as well. 

May and October...my favourite months of the year!