March 31

Saturday was a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. The early morning weather was overcast with a temperature of 33 degrees and a light wind out of the north. Before commencing, I perused the early spring western landscape. I descended the hill and paused at Mallard Marsh. Continuing through Bobolink Meadow, I entered North Woods to see some snow left over from yesterday. I stopped at the boardwalk where I saw some Purple Cress blossoms. A member of the mustard family, Purple Cress is a spring ephemeral that gets its name from the green to purplish green hairy stem and pale purple flowers. Essentially, a spring ephemeral wildflower appears early each spring, before the leafing out of the deciduous trees in which it dwells underneath and when full sunlight can get to the forest floor. In addition, this is the time of year when soil moisture is at the highest because the trees are not actively soaking it up. Also, a considerable amount of decay from the previous year’s leaves has put lots of nutrients in the soil. These ephemeral wildflowers can take advantage of this abundant food supply. Before leaving the woods, I was surprised to see May apple plants beginning to appear on the forest floor. I exited the woods and went over to see the deer remains. Circling Succession Field, I heard a few Field Sparrows singing out. Along the western boundary I noticed the colorful white blossoms of a Serviceberry or Juneberry tree. Continuing along the north side of South Woods, I spotted 3 deer running silently through the understory. I entered the woods and hiked along the edge of Swanson Swamp where I was surprise to see a mother goose sitting on her nest on a small island just off shore. This was the same place I saw one last spring. Leaving the woods, I continued onto Artist Overlook where I stopped to view the new green shoots of Reed Canary Grass growing on the far shore of Sora Swale. I followed the south trail to Frog Fen, turned south and headed toward Brady Cemetery where I examined the area where the recent grass fire had occurred. I noticed green grass growing up through the blackened ground. I passed the cemetery and entered Native Grassland where some of the vegetation had been cut in preparation for the controlled burn tomorrow afternoon. I continued north where I was pleased to see the dock had been installed on Grebe Pond as we prepare for our spring field trips. Also, I was reminded of the beautiful Mute Swan that swam there earlier in the week. Arriving back at the Classroom Building, I spotted my first Dandelion blossoms growing along the north side. Finally, Remi and I got in the van and headed for home.

I hike along to the beat of earth
Mother Nature has given birth
Plants and animals come alive
Dormant wildlife start to revive
All around is freshening air
The world awakens with flair
End of March is here right now
Season has changed. Oh Wow!
Rhythm of life is picking up
Springtime begins to erupt

D. DeGraaf