wildflower walk May 22, 2007
Posted by Sandy in nature.trackback
We have had rain for the past five or six days, so when the sun finally made an appearance yesterday, I took a walk down to the woods to see what was blooming. Since I was there last, the mosquitoes have arrived, but not the black flies. This butterfly was playing the sun at the end of the old road. I kept waiting for it to land on something more attractive, but seemed to like this setting, so that is where I took the photograph.
Along the roadway, the gaywings, or fringed polygala, is just starting to bloom. By next week, the foam and star flowers willl be out in the same area. The lady slippers will take a bit more time.
Up over the hill into the woods, I found lots of trillium growing. I am wondering if the deer eat these because quite a few of them had been lopped off, high up, not low to the ground like they would be if someone picked them.
Mushrooms were everywhere, after all the rain we have been having. Most of them had already been munched on, but lots of these were still whole. Anyone recognize this one? I really could not pick it out of my field guide.
Great minds must think alike as I took a walk in the woods this morning also. I have never seen a fringed polygola before and I am not so good with the names of the natives so I look forward to more of your posts on this. I will post a bit tonight on what I did see but your pictures are lovely and colorful!
Thanks for taking me along on the walk. I’ve been too busy to get out for my own. I’ve no clue on the mushroom. The trilium is one of my favorites- I wonder too who might munch them.
That is a cool mushroom … though I haven’t a clue what it is.
I love the gaywings and I hope that you take some more pics of them. It’s interesting that the trilliums have their blooms lopped off. Maybe they are a treat for the deer, although they seem to eat just about everything anyway.
lovely photos – thanks for sharing your walk with us!
Ladies, the reason I think the muncher might be deer is that they quite often bite the top of a flower in my garden, then just drop it.
I wish they would go do their tasting somewhere else.
Yes. It’s unfortunately the beautiful deer. In our local parks the ‘Trillium Trail’ no longer has trillium. This happened in the space of perhaps 10 years.
All your pictures remind me I need to get back into the woods, but WITH mosquito repellent. Doggone.
I’m wanting to call the mushroom a false morel, but that ‘wanting’ doesn’t make it so ;0)
You have me pulling out my wildlflower guide a lot lately. I’ve never heard of or seen a gaywing. How pretty they are. I wonder how common they are in Pennsylvania? What a beautiful color.
I love your walk through the woods Sandy. Deer eating the trillium, oh my, they’re on the endangered list in NY and so I hope they don’t discover the ones in my Mom’s woods.
Wonderful walk! Thank you!
It would be great to have a walk in the the woods after a rain…the birds would have plenty, too. The ground wouldn’t crunch loudly. Thanks for the damp walk, Sandy. I hope to have the same, soon!
I’ll be looking for the Fringed Polygala here. Nice collection from your walk.
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