More Springtime Shenanigans

You might think, from looking at the trees outside, that there's nothing much going on out in nature.  Sure, some of the trees have leaves that are erupting from their winter buds.  Sure the grass is more green and there are more plants covering the floor.  But spring hasn't really sprung, right?

Doesn't look like we'll find much springworthy...

Oh, I thought that this morning too.  I drove to work, looked at the barren trees and thought, "Well, this is depressing," despite all the sunlight and cool breezes.  More sun should mean that trees should burst into leaves immediately.  By the time I got to work, I saw the daffodils and tulips were in full bloom outside.  "Now that's more like it," I thought.  But because it was so nice outside today, I decided to go on a nature walk at one of the parks just to see what I could find.

I didn't think much when I first arrived.  I don't generally like parks.  Pump the brakes, the naturalist doesn't like nature?!  No, I love nature.  I'm just not a fan of cultivated green space.  I'm not sure where my distaste comes from; probably from the fact that all the kids play on the playground and leave the woods alone.  Probably because poison ivy is out of control (due to the deer and birds who take refuge in the parks and eat poison ivy berries and then poop out poison ivy seeds).  Probably because parks just feel contrived to me, especially paved pathways.  But I would rather have a park than have a parking lot!

I wandered out of my car and toward the path that I know well.  Instantly, I saw flowers.  I'm pretty sure they were burning bush flowers.  Super awesome.  That proves that the trees and shrubs definitely know it's springtime!

Burning Bush flowers

Then I found some weird, drippy flowers.  I'm pretty sure these are some kind of hickory.  Actually, I take that back.  I'm now pretty sure they're ash tree flowers.  Wait, all the ash trees have been cut down due to the emerald ash borer.  Now I think they're hickory again.  Or wait, are they maple?  I'll be able to better tell once the leaves have fully come in.

"Weird Drippy Flowers" is definitely the technical term.

 While looking for flowers on trees, I stumbled across buckeye trees.  These look super cool.  Not only have the buds gotten huge, but they look as though they have "burst" open to reveal the leaves.  The flowers sit on top.  Actually, these are probably horse chestnuts.

Horse Chestnut flowers exploding from their buds.

I always thought they were synonymous, but after using the Google Machine, I have discovered that they are different.  Horse chestnut have larger flowers.  I am definitely coming back in a week to see if there has been any change!

Horse Chestnut flowers and leaves

Spring beauties are definitely out and about.  I remember seeing them when I went walking in my last blog post.  They're out around here too, and my camera was unable to capture the pink stripes on the flowers because of the sunlight.  I really need to learn how to use my camera properly.  I love these little guys.  They're some of the first wildflowers to pop up, and they're pretty hearty.

You can just barely see the pink stripes on the flowers.

Through the trees and across the river, a flowering dogwood stood in all its glory (actually, looking at it now, I think it's a magnolia?).  And behind that dogwood was a house!  I would love to have a house on a river, especially one with a flowering dogwood in the backyard.  You have to admit, it would be spectacular to live here.

Imagine living in an idyllic house like this one!

If you were to ask me what season is the best to go out in the woods on a hike, my answer would vary based upon the season.  I love the freshness of going out into nature during the summer, the threat of a thunderstorm just beyond the dense canopy of leaves.  I love the crispness of walking through multicolored canopy in the fall, basking in the earthy smell of decomposing leaves underfoot.  Plus, touch-me-not goes into seed and those are so much fun to watch burst!  But right now, I have to say spring is my favorite time to walk.  There's just enough nature out there to be interesting, but not so much that the ground is covered with seasonal plants.  This makes going off the path so much easier.

As a naturalist, I'm not supposed to encourage people to go off the paved paths (at least, where I work this is true).  There are a lot of people who might step on an endangered flower or might get poison ivy, or fall and break something.  I'm supposed to encourage a safe and engaging experience to others when outside.  But how engaging is it, especially for a kid, to stay on the path the whole time?  I wouldn't have wanted to.

Definitely not on the path anymore...

Besides, I put on a long skirt today, since the weather was so nice.  If you've never run around in the woods in a long skirt, I highly recommend it.  I definitely felt like a Disney princess.  I pretended I was being chased, and my skirt even caught on a few brambles.  Oh, imagination, you are the most inspired by natural landscape!

Long skirt plus walking in woods equals adventures!

If I had stayed on the paved road, I never would have found more toad trillium!  This stuff is the best.  I love it because it looks like something out of Labyrinth (I may have pretended that David Bowie was the one chasing me through the woods).  I also was looking for some violets, though I didn't see any in this clearing, I found something even better.

Toad Trillum

Wild ginger!  This is definitely not edible ginger.  Granted, the natives and settlers used to use it as a spice, but there are toxins inside of it, so please don't eat it!  The leaves look waxy and are heart-shaped.  The flower likes to hang out at ground level, but I don't think this one has grown yet.

Wild ginger!

Look at the difference between the wild ginger and this leaf.  Both are heart-shaped, but this leaf is more lobed, and looks more veiny and fuzzy.  Are they the same plant?  Psh, no.  This other leaf is garlic mustard.

Garlic Mustard

Garlic mustard is everywhere.  It's one of the invasive species that likes to take over parks.  Luckily, the plant is edible.  If you were to pick up the leaf and crush it in your hands, it would smell spicy and mustardy.  These guys came over from Europe, and they're super hearty.  They like to take over the clear areas on the ground, as you can see.  I really wanted to pick as many of these as I could to make a salad, but I am unsure of the pesticide usage at the parks around town, and I'd rather not risk getting myself sick.

So you see, if you really look, you can find signs of spring everywhere.  This isn't even half of what I found; more to come on Wednesday!