Spring at Last. Really.

White trillium bud

After breaking my heart numerous times, spring has finally arrived here in central Ohio. Despite 20 mph winds this morning I had a terrific walk at Highbanks Metro Park. Among the highlights: I saw what may have been a red-headed woodpecker and the first bluebird I've ever seen. Yes, I've lived in Ohio for (zzz-zz-zz sorry, static on my Web connection) years and just saw my first bluebird. Also saw some very handsome brown-headed cowbirds. Cowbirds are not particularly pleasant birds; they lay their eggs in other birds' nests and let the unwitting foster parents raise their young. But the males are really striking in the sun, a glossy iridescent black with a rich brown head.

Dutchman's breeches

Enough birds. Spring is for wildflowers, and lots of  'em. The best part of spring for me is seeing the floor of the woods bloom. The first flowers I spotted this morning are some of my favorites--dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria). These jaunty little pantaloons are a wild relative of the bleeding heart in your garden. They always make me smile...they really look like a row of puffy little pants on a clothesline.

Mayapple sprout

The mayapples (Podophyllum pelatum) are also beginning to open, though not blooming yet. In another week or so they'll spread their umbrellas across the understory, but this week I caught a very new sprout, still a tightly closed bumbershoot.

Yellow trout lily

Trout lilies are also in bloom. Highbanks has both yellow (Erythronium americanum) and white (Erythronium albidum) varieties. The flowers are fairly large, but surprisingly hard to see since they curve downward. They're bright yellow or white underneath but mostly reddish-brown on top. The name "trout lily" supposedly refers to the mottled leaves, which resemble the mottled markings of trout. The plant is also called "adder's tongue."


White trillium


The large white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) is Ohio's state wildflower. It is also known as wake robin and snow trillium, although there is another, smaller species, Trillium nirvale, which is also called snow trillium.

Toadshade

The dark red trillium with the mottled leaves is toadshade (Trillium sessile), also called little sweet Betsy and whippoorwill flower. This is one of two very dark red trilliums with mottled leaves. The other, Trillium cuneatum, is much larger, a foot or more tall, and is not found in this area of Ohio.

Bloodroot

One of my favorite wildflowers, bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is more remarkable for its leaves than its small white flowers. With anywhere from three to nine lobes, the oddly-shaped leaves stand out along the paths. When I look at the one shown here, I think of...the bat signal. Too many comic books as a child! Bloodroot is a medicinal herb that has been used, among other things, as an antiseptic. I make no recommendations, but for those interested in herbal remedies, please don't gather wild bloodroot. It can be cultivated to help preserve the wild stock.

I'm hoping to get to walk often for the next few weeks to catch the wildflowers as they come into bloom. Some other favorites, Jacks-in-the-pulpit, should be out shortly. Stay tuned.

Spring in Ohio: Not Yet, But Close

Northern Cardinal

As usual, spring is toying with us here in central Ohio. Last weekend temps were in the mid-60s. This weekend, they're...well, they're not. Walking at Inniswood Metro Garden this morning, early spring's split personality was everywhere. The birds were singing...cardinals, blue jays, and crows everywhere (and yes, crows and jays are technically songbirds, though not very melodic). I heard several red-bellied woodpeckers drumming. I've also seen dozens of turkey and black vultures in the past couple of weeks, and lots of hawks. Watch the fence posts along the interstates and you'll spot red-tailed hawks watching the fields.



The ghosts of beech leaves past



But the trees are still bare, though some are beginning to bloom. And the beeches are still holding onto last year's leaves. At one curve in the walking path, the hiker turns into an area with tiers of ghostly beech leaves on all sides, in every shade of pale tan, gold, and near-white. Those that fall to the ground are nearly transparent, like tissue paper. Most will hang on until the new leaves sprout in a couple of weeks.

Yellow iris sprouts with ice

The heavy rains that fell here in the past two weeks have filled the frog pond and the boggy area next to it. The pond is the perfect illustration of this year's not-quite-spring: fresh green sprouts of the yellow irises around the pond, standing in water with a skin of ice on top. It made my feet cold to look at them.

But spring is very close. The mosses have been green for weeks, and this week the floor of the woods is covered in green sprouts. The ferns are up, and I finally saw the first leaves of a skunk cabbage this week, though the bloom isn't up yet.

Hellebores in bloom

The cultivated gardens at Inniswood are also coming to life. The grape hyancinths and daffodils along the paths are beginning to open, and the hellebores (or lenten roses, Helleborus orientalis) are thick with blooms, from white to pink to mauve-y purple.

It's supposed to warm up again by next weekend. With any luck we'll have actual spring in another week or two.

Late Winter and February Thaw

February, the grayest month of the year...according to the groundhog, we're due for an early spring this year. Except for the nagging voice of the Midwestern pessimist in the back of my head that says not to get excited, we're going to get at least one more good snow, I can believe it today.

Ice on the cattails around the pond

Last weekend I had time for only a short walk at Mill Run, a local suburban park with a walking path, a large pond, and lots of waterfowl. It was bitterly cold, near zero, with a sharp wind. The grass and path were still coated with ice from the previous week's winter storm, which made walking interesting at best and hazardous at worst. The sky was a dark slate gray...an altogether uninviting day to walk.

Canada goose tracks

Even the Canada geese who are usually around the pond had gone elsewhere, although their tracks were everywhere. Only the ducks, mostly mallards with a couple of domestic white ducks, were paddling around where the water was open. Here's my question of the week: how can ducks paddle around in nearly-frozen water without damaging their feet and legs?

Cold ducks

I watched the ducks for a while and had a chuckle at a male mallard who flew in, landed on the ice, and slid a foot or so (much to his own surprise), then headed home to get warm.

February sun, weak but welcome

Today, though, you can almost feel spring sneaking around the corner. It was 39 degrees at Highbanks, and the packed-down ice on the trails was slushy on top. The woods were completely silent a few weeks ago, but today there were birds everywhere. I saw a hairy woodpecker, some tufted titmice, and dozens of unidentified birds overhead. There was a tremendously loud black-capped chickadee singing and a red-bellied woodpecker buzzing off to one side of the trail. The sun was kind of leaking through the cloud cover, barely bright enough to cast shadows but enough to give the air a yellow cast.

Melting ice in the creeks

I watched along the edges of the trails and in sheltered spots along the streambeds for any new sprouts--I was hoping to spot some skunk cabbage--but it's still a bit early. But oh, it's close! I could almost hear new greenery pushing up under the snow. Temps this week are predicted to be in the fifties by Friday. I'm betting by next week the crocuses will be up and those green sprouts will be pushing up their noses.

Cold? What is this..."cold?"

Highbanks trail, January 2010

Greetings after a long absence from the blog due to a) nagging lower back problems and b) general craziness in my life. This morning I took a long winter walk at Highbanks MetroPark. There was substantial snowfall this week here in central Ohio, so the trails varied between hard-packed snow and fluff, and it was definitely cold: when I left this morning, it was -2 degrees F, and by the time I had breakfast and started walking, I'd guess the temps were hovering between 0 and +5.

That said, this is my favorite time of year to walk. It's quiet, there are many fewer joggers, or anyone else for that matter, on the trails, and I personally enjoy the barrenness of the woods because it's much easier to spot birds and other wildlife than it is during the summer. Plus, there are tons of footprints of animals you might never actually see...but you know they're there. Unfortunately I took off without my camera this morning, but I have some Highbanks photos from about this time last year that I can pop in here.



Winter woods at Highbanks

For those who'd like to head out into the snow, my shot at motherly advice:: dress for the cold. For this weather, I do a pair of cotton tights under jeans, a medium-weight sock and waterproof hiking boots with insulating insoles. Up top, a substantial cotton turtleneck, winter-weight parka with down liner in place, a pair of medium-weight knit gloves covered by down mittens (at least at first), and a cheerful red fleece balaclava that makes me look like a cross between Santa Claus and a bank-robbery suspect. By the end of the hike, I've usually dispensed with the mittens and sometimes opened the outer shell of the coat, but that's the point of layers...when you warm up, you can remove some. Do not head out in a couple of sweatshirts, lightweight gloves, and running shoes. If you get turned around on the trails you may be out longer than expected, and frostbite and hypothermia are real dangers at these temps, especially if there's wind.

Highbanks ravine

Enough advice. This morning I saw a surprising number of critters out, especially birds. A pair of robins (who hang around all year here, contrary to popular belief...these are probably Canadian robins who think this is the south, eh?); a tufted titmouse, common at birdfeeders as well as in the winter woods; several cardinals and blue jays; and a red-bellied woodpecker. The woodpeckers are much easier to spot in the winter with the leaf canopy down; this one was drumming off to the side of the trail, and when I turned to see where he was, he came zipping down the trail right over my head, headed to a better tree. I did not see any today, but I often see pileated woodpeckers at Highbanks. These are the guys Woody Woodpecker was modeled after...black backs, white necks, big red crests. Beautiful birds. I also saw (at the nature center's birdfeeders) an Eastern towhee, a first for me...a very handsome guy with a black back, rusty orange sides, and a pristine white belly.

Olentangy River from Highbanks overlook, January 2010

As for furry critters, the chipmunks and squirrels were very active considering the cold. Had a laugh at a squirrel who made a high-speed run down a branch that was sticking up at an angle from the ground...the branch was covered in snow, and the squirrel looked like a furry little snowmobile zipping down the branch: a bushy tail and a cloud of snow. There were lots of tracks crisscrossing the trails, but unfortunately the snow is fairly dry and fluffy and doesn't hold tracks very well. I recognized deer, rabbit, and what were likely coyote prints, but the rest were unreadable.

A most worthwhile trek through the woods in the snow. There's nothing like the silence of the woods in winter as a stress buster. Layer up and go. I guarantee you'll feel lighter and less harried when you make it back to civilization.

Water Life

On this hot, humid morning I took a slow stroll through Inniswood Metro Garden--much too hot for a brisk walk! Summer has turned the corner toward fall...the cicadas are singing (actually they started early this year, well before the 4th of July, but now they're in full voice), the bees and horseflies are buzzing, and many of the woodland critters are looking for some relief from the heat. Last time I was here the water in the frog pond was very high, with dozens of tadpoles zipping around and the bullfrogs singing. Today the pond has shrunk and the water plants have taken over...although, as you can see, the frogs are still around. Proof that they can be very hard to see: I didn't even notice this frog while I was snapping this photo! Imagine my surprise when I opened it on my desktop and there he was, staring at me with his beady amphibian eye.

The frog pond here has beautiful lotuses. This one was a good three feet above the water, even taller than the lotus leaves that all turn with the sun, like sunflowers.

The water is very attractive to insects, also. I saw an amazing assortment of dragon- and damselflies. The most striking was an iridescent blue damselfly with velvety black wings, but that one was quicker than my camera. This guy spent several minutes landing on this leaf, taking off, then circling right back to the same leaf. Another of the same type was doing the same thing a few leaves away.

The pond in the Children's Garden was by far the best for critter hunting. We aren't the only ones looking for a way to keep cool! Standing on the footbridge, I noticed something wrapped around the branches of a small black willow on the edge on the pond...a piece of cloth? On closer inspection, it turned out to be a rather large snake, a black rat snake judging by its color and size. He looked very comfortable there in the shade.

Across the bridge there were a few lily pads in the middle of the pond, where another snake was chillin' in the water. Had he had an umbrella drink (and a hand to hold it!), he'd have looked very much like a human floating around the pool on an air mattress.

And more frogs, of course, including one moose-sized bullfrog waiting for something yummy to zip by. One of his friends was enjoying the small waterfall nearby. By the time I walked all around the pond with my camera I was wishing I could climb into the water myself. Hopefully this afternoon's thunderstorms will bring some relief from the sultry weather.

A Mystery Beetle Identified

An obnoxiously hot and humid week in central Ohio, with temps in the 90s, so not much outdoor walking this week. However, I finally had a chance to do some Web research and identify a beetle I photographed at Highbanks in May!

I spotted this guy on the railing around an observation deck where I sometimes see deer. An intense iridescent green, he really popped out against the weathered wood of the railing. I probably spent ten minutes trying to get some photos of him that were actually in focus...my camera is pretty leisurely about autofocusing (Note to self: Manual focus on next camera.), and this guy was fast. Each time I'd start to push the shutter button, off he'd go down the railing with me trailing behind.

At any rate, I did finally manage to get some shots that were at least focused enough to be identifiable. This handsome gentleman (I'm assuming gentleman here; could be a female) is a six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata). These guys are common in woodland areas in this part of the country, and often hunt along woodland paths. None of my photos show his mouth parts, but he sported a pretty impressive set of mandibles, used for capturing and eating other insects and arthropods, particularly ants. They're speedy because they often hunt on foot, though they also capture prey while on the wing. It's probably a good thing I didn't try catching him (which I often do when I want to look at an insect closely), because tiger beetles are capable of inflicting a pretty healthy bite when they feel threatened.

A cold front moved through the area today, which should drop temperatures a bit this weekend. Hopefully more posts later!

Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

Last weekend I was walking the Dripping Rock trail at Highbanks when I encountered Walter, one of the park volunteers, looking up into the trees. "Hey," he said, "Wanna see something really cool?" He pointed up into a large beech tree next to the path, with a large broken-off limb extending over the trail. And there...was a snake. My apologies for the not-quite-sharp photo, but I had to post a portrait of the black rat snake who had been lounging in this tree for several days when I saw it. Judging from the loops visible on top of the branch, this is a pretty good-sized snake.  

Just for the record, black rat snakes are beneficial to humans and eat small rodents and bugs. They're wonderful to have in a garden and totally harmless to humans. And despite Walter's tongue-in-cheek warnings to passing hikers, they don't watch for people with straw (or white) hats and drop out of trees onto their heads.