Week's Observations 4/8 - 4/16

The woods are bursting into full bloom, there's an Earthy smell to everything, and the birds are singing all their spring songs! 
It's a great time to get out there and find your own favorite places in the parks!
Click 'Read More' to see just what you can expect to see while out and about! 

Barnes Preserve
Slowly but surely more color is emerging at Barnes. Not just the flowers, but the birds too! 
Early in the week things were just starting to wake up, early may apples, wild geranium leaves, the birds had a lot to say about everything.
Later in the week the cresses speckled the meadow with their bright yellow, and down the service lane the fruit trees made quite a show with the white, pink, and burgundy flowers.
So much can change in just one week!

Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area
While the many of the waterfowl migrants have continued on, there's still a good handful who have made their nests and plan on staying a while - teals, shovelers, etc. Cat tails are springing up, skunk cabbage is leafing out, and on this trip I found a turkey showing off his plumage! 
  
Wooster Memorial Park / Spangler
Great blooms all through the park, the start of the trillium bloom, both the tooth-worts are budding and blooming, hepatica, bloodroot, bishop's cap, purple cress, trout lily, chickweed, violets, rue anemone, - phew- that's a lot of blooms. There's also a great number of birds hanging out - phoebes, blue-gray gnat catchers, hawks, woodpeckers, kinglets. 
While hiking you might notice a considerable number of trees have fallen/have been cut down. The past few big storms have taken out quite a few trees, and the ash trees that haven't fallen in the storms had be felled by the park so as to not be a hazard to hikers. The trees will lay where they've fallen to provide habitat and return to the Earth - all good things -, but I'm really bummed about my favorite 'fairie tree' getting caught up and cut down in the mess. 
All that aside, it's still a great time to get out there and make your own favorite places in the park!