April 13th. Work is starting at the bridge over Old Colchester Road...

 

...though at 8:15 or so, that meant looking at plans (I assume) and cell phones.

 

Heavy equipment has been staged there for a few days.

 

Back mid afternoon and trees are down and brush is being chipped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

West of Old Colchester Road, down towards Grayville Road, Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is blooming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiny flowers of Spicebush (Lindera benzoin).

 

Trout-lily (Erythronium americanum). Spotted leaves are definitive. Yellow flowers will come in awhile.

 

Invasive Japanese Barberry (Berberus thumbergii), an ornamental that went wild in a big way.

 

 

 

 

 

First Slug I've seen this year. They're in the Phylum Mollusca and the Class Gastropoda.

 

A mated pair of Common Water Striders (Family Gerridae, Aquarius sp.). Note the dimples their legs make in the surface tension.

 

April 14th. Male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)...

 

...and its mate, not far from a wood duck box they've been checking out lately.

 

A Black Fly (Simulium sp.) Not very agressive biters here in Connecticut, especially compared to the fierce biters in northern Maine where they would raise itchy welts that took months to heal! This one was hanging out on the inside of my truck window.

 

Late afternoon at Cranberry Bog. The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) pair mating. Note, the red reflections are of a car in the parking lot.

 

 

 

Very energetic but over in seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

April 15th. The usual distant Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus).

 

Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera).

 

Work not started today, but barriers constraining trail users to a corridor away from heavy equipment. (Fine with me.)

 

Plenty of that heavy equipment around. Hmm, "Liebherr" translates to Love Man according to my High School German memories.

 

Looking south, the road is completely blocked off.

 

Male of a single pair of Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) at the marsh.

 

The female.

 

The male again.

 

April 16th. A worker got an early start today, sawing off guard rails at Old Colchester Road.

 

 

 

Most of the stumps removed from the embankment.

 

A Spring Azure butterfly (Celastrina sp.). At rest, they hide the sky blue upper wing surfces.

 

Purple Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum), a mint. Close up, it smells like corn-on-the-cob.

 

 

 

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). This invasive was everywhere a few years ago, but seems to be settling in to a community of plants - not so overpowering (at least I hope not).