March 27th. When I visited Fort Yargo State Park
in mid-February, there were few signs of Spring. The only wildflower plants
that were obvious were the leaves of Cranefly Orchids (Tipularia discolor) that
I found in many places.
This years Christmas Ferns (Polystichum acrostichoides) fronds just emerging. The
fiddleheads are fascinating and look like little sculptures.
The trail still looked bare but there are hints of green in the tree tops.
The changes are most notable along the lake shore with the
red flowers of the Red Maples (Acer rubrum) and the lime greens of leaves
developing on other trees.
The first leaves were emerging on the Tulip Poplars
(Liriodendron tulipifera).
The Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), that just showed a
core of green leaves on my previous walk, were showing healthy new leaves.
Scuppernongs, a variety of Muscadine Grape (Vitis
rotundifolia) were beginning to leaf out and lending some green at ground
level.
An interesting tree hole that I hadn’t noticed before. I
wonder if it’s used as a bird nest. I didn’t seen any activity as I walked by
but it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on it.
As I climbed ‘The Hill’ on the return side of the loop,
small…
oaks, and…
Sweetgums (Liquidamber styraciflua) were leafing out.
The Sun came out as I descended ‘The Hill’ and brightened
the woods.
The Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) leaves in the woods
were still hanging in, and…
they’d been joined, for a short time, by a mushroom.
It was on my final leg across the flat section of the trail
that I encountered the young Black Rat Snake (Pantheris obsoleta obsoleta) that
I wrote about here.
I saw my first dragonfly of the year, a female Blue
Corporal (Ladona deplanata), on the bridge back to the parking lot. Interestingly, I haven’t seen another dragonfly since.
This wasn’t a particularly exciting walk – except for my
encounter with the Black Rat Snake – but there were distinct signs of Spring along
the trail that had broken the back of Winter.
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