April 17th. Another walk east from Grayville Road. Rue-Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides).

 

Note the dew drops at the "drip tips" of each leaf.

 

 

 

Marsh-Marigold or Cowslip (Caltha palustris).

 

 

 

Lots of Trout-lily (Erythronium americanum) leaves...

 

...but only one in flower so far.

 

An early blue Violet (Viola sp.).

 

 

 

 

 

A few Bloodroot (Sanuguinaria canadensis) still blooming.

 

Petals fall as soon as the flower is pollenated.

 

Lots of activity at the Old Colchester Road bridge project.

 

 

 

Guard rails are completely gone and embankments are being shaped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some soil being moved from one side...

 

...to the other.

 

Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans).in a trailside ditch.

 

Nifty caterpillar I picked off a dog I passed. Trying to get an ID. ... Several hours later, my ID request to bugguide.net got a reply from John and Jane Balaban, suggesting a Reversed Haploa Moth (Haploa reversa). Here's a link posted by MJ Hatfield to the moth's life cycle: https://www.prairiehaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Haploareversa125.jpg

 

 

 

Heading back towards Grayville Road.

 

April 18th. Looks like yesterday they dug up the old pavement.

 

 

 

Mostly Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefolia).

 

Shadbush or Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) is blooming too.

 

Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is blooming.

 

April 19th, a Sunday, I approached the bridge construction from the south on Old Colchester Road, stopping at the barricade.

 

No surprise, no work done Saturday or today.

 

Next stop, the pond east of Route 207. See those two dark specs in the trees near the photo's center?

 

They're the old Great Blue Heron nests, the upper one now occupied.

 

While I wish them well, I don't think young have survived from those nests in previous years. I think raptors got them.

 

Turning to the east, I saw another Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius) fly over and land in the Rod & Gun Club pond.

 

There were a couple of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) on that pond too, (and a couple more on the big pond).

 

Just a bit further east, I spotted this flowering tree.

 

 

 

I'm guessing an "escaped" ornamental Cherry (Prunus serrulata).

 

 

 

In just the last three days, Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) plants and flowers have matured.