First Native Spring Flower & Sit Spot - February 21, 2020

I was excited to find the first real native spring flower early this afternoon.  I always start looking in early February these days in hope of finding it in bloom. It blooms in very wet, muddy places near water and can be very messy to find as the weather gets warmer; however, it is a plant that can melt its way through ice and snow so now is a good time to look and not be so muddy. Yes, it is the Skunk Cabbage and is one of the stranger "flowers" to be found. Below is a look at a plant that has melted its way through the ice but is not yet flowering.

Close to this plant, I found a set of several others that were flowering.

The way I check for flowering is to poke my littlest finger down into the spathe to see if I can get any pollen on my finger.

As you can see, I did get pollen,

Below is a photo looking into the spathe where one can see the pollen on the spadix.

Skunk Cabbage (aka Eastern Skunk Cabbage)

chou puant

(Symplocarpus foetus)

February 21, 2020 5:57 p.m.

Sit 391 Brush Pile E  Clear 

-2° (-9°) SW 30-43 kph  59% humidity 

Wind sighing through the trees,

Tree branches creaking & popping in wind,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(JetSuite Air flight 307...)

Extras:

Rabbit by old chicken coop 

Blue Jays,

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves  

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Starlings,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site #2 - East Willow

Beckett Walk & Sit Spot - February 20, 2020

Fleur-Ange and I attended the Beckett Walk today at Pinehurst Lake Park. The trails wandered up and down through thickly planted pines and circled in ways that I could not keep in my head. The map below is from my Garmin watch, downloaded after I got home,  and shows how we circled about and got lost at one point. Well, not really lost as we did find a map but it it difficult to read maps when you do not know what direction you are facing . . .

February 20, 2020 5:27 p.m.

Sit 390 : Brush Pile W : Partly Sunny 

-6° (-12°) nw 17-26 kph    51% humidity 

Saw one White-tailed Deer as we got to Sit Spot 

(Jet, traffic noise)

(United Airlines flight 2065...)

Extras:

Blue Jays,

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels,

Red Squirrel.

Photo Site #1 - East Willow

Sit Spot - February 19, 2020

February 19, 2020 8:35 a.m.

Sit 389: Brush Pile W, Mostly Cloudy 

-4° (-11°) NW 24-36 kph  76% humidity 

Blue Jays,

Crows,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Dogs barking in distance,

Wind in trees,

trees creaking,

Extras:

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Downy Woodpecker,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels,

Red Squirrel,

4 White-tailed Deer on South Ravine Trail in p.m.

Photo Site #4 - North Ridge Trail

Sit Spot - February 18, 2020

I was gone half the day for my usual Tuesday volunteer job at the Plan B Organic Farm so I did not see many birds at our feeder nor anyplace else.

February 18, 2020 5:15 p.m. 

Sit 388: Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

+3° (-3°) w 35-54 kph  75% humidity 

Wind in trees,

Tree branches clicking together,

Crows,

Extras:

Rabbit & Squirrel tracks in snow 

Chickadees,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Black Squirrel.

Photo Site #3 - West Meadow Viewpoint

Sit Spot - February 17, 2020

February 17, 2020 9:49 a.m.

Sit 387 : Brush Pile W Sunny!

-5° (-9°) N 9-14 kph 79% humidity 

Eastern Bluebirds,

Rabbit,

Crows,

Chickadees,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

(Jet,traffic noise)

Extras :

Both Cardinals & Chickadees singing spring songs 

Blue Jays,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Downy Woodpecker 

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site #2 - East Willow