What to See This Week

Mayapples have begun to bloom! These unique plants look like little umbrellas all over the forest floor. Look for their white flower beneath the leaves of plants with two leaves. Eventually the pollinated flowers develop into a small fruit. Although the fully ripe flesh of the fruit is edible, all other parts of the plant are toxic including the seeds and rind. This doesn’t stop box turtles, which are considered to be one of the main dispersers of the seed!

Maidenhair fern can be seen now in the Woodland Garden just a bit past the gazebo. It is a particularly recognizable fern with its dark black stems and unique branching structure. 

Dutchman’s pipe can be found growing near an entrance to the Woodland Garden. This vine is currently blooming and has very distinctive flowers and heart-shaped leaves. This plant is significant as it is one of the only host plants for the uncommon pipevine swallowtail, a butterfly that is beautiful both as an adult and caterpillar.

We have reached that wonderful part of the year that the azaleas have begun to bloom! Throughout May, the Azalea Glen becomes the most colorful area of The Arboretum. This area has a huge diversity of species and varieties with many different colors and flower shapes. Pictured here is a Golden Flare azalea. You are also likely to spot swallowtail butterflies fluttering around the Azalea Glen; they are the primary pollinators for azaleas!

The common liverwort growing in the shadow of the Log Cabin can be seen throughout the year, but it isn’t always that these little umbrella-like structures are seen. Pictured here are the female reproductive parts of the common liverwort. Liverworts are among the earliest land plants and lack stems, true leaves, and roots. Instead, they directly absorb water through their surface.

After some rain and warmth, mushrooms have popped up along the Dogwood Trail. Pictured here are weeping widow mushrooms, a very common mushroom that is usually seen in lawns and other grassy areas. A very interesting feature of this mushroom is its incredibly dark spores! They have a bit of a fringe around the cap of the mushroom as well as the stem that is left over from a partial veil (tissue covering the gills when the mushroom is still growing). These fringy areas tend to catch the dark spores as they fall.

Take a short walk in Dutch Fork Wetlands and you will hear many different birds singing and calling. Red-winged blackbirds, goldfinches, tree swallows, and robins are among some of the most common. If you are quiet and slow enough you may be able to get a good look at a northern flicker. These interesting woodpeckers tend to be a little shy but have a loud call and flash bright yellow from beneath their wings and tails when they take off.

One great bird song to learn prior to taking a walk through Dutch Fork Wetlands or the Red Barn Reserve is that of a yellow warbler! Yellow warblers have only just returned to our area from Central and South America. They are one of our most common warblers and call loudly and regularly throughout the breeding season. They may be tiny, but they aren’t hard to spot thanks to their vibrant yellow plumage.