What to See This Week

Dryad’s saddle, also known as pheasant back, is a common spring fruiting mushroom that grows on logs. It is a type of polypore, a group of mushrooms that generally grow in a shelf-like shape usually on wood. The underside has many pores that release the mushroom’s spores. Dryad’s saddle can grow to be over a foot in diameter. Along with appearance, Dryad’s saddle can also be identified by its smell, which is very similar to watermelon rind!

Earlier in the spring, scarlet elf cups were a common sight in forested areas. Pictured here is the scarlet elf cup’s significantly smaller relative, the stalked scarlet cup. Stalked scarlet cups grow from wood, often buried in the soil.

Among the latest blooming spring wildflowers is large leaf waterleaf. Large leaf waterleaf has large white clusters of flowers and it is common throughout the Woodland Garden so although the spring wildflowers are for the most part finished for the year, there are still blooms to see!

Bear corn is a bizarre plant. It often is mistaken for a fungus, and that makes sense since it isn’t green! Bear corn lacks chlorophyll, and that’s because it has evolved to be parasitic. It attaches to the roots of primarily oak trees and steals all the nutrients it needs from the trees.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are our only breeding hummingbirds in the eastern United States. They are easy to attract with red and orange flowers as well as hummingbird feeders filled with sugar water. Once they find a feeder they return regularly throughout the day! Pictured here is a female ruby-throated hummingbird, determined by her lack of a red throat. Both male and female have shimmery green feathers on their back.

Eastern kingbirds are a species belonging to the flycatcher family. They are mostly dark gray with a white belly and a stark white edge to their tail. If you are very lucky you may even see the small tuft of orange to red feathers on the top of their head although it is often hidden. They are famous for their territorial behaviors and willingness to defend their nest against much larger birds and other animals.

Another member of the flycatcher family, the willow flycatcher, belongs to a genus (Empidonax) of birds infamous for being difficult to tell apart. Luckily, each species has a unique song making distinguishing them easy during the breeding season. The Red Barn Reserve is full of willow flycatchers who make a buzzy “fitz-bew” sound. Flycatchers are only with us through the breeding season or stopping by during migration.

Red-winged blackbirds are a favorite common wetland bird for many. They build their nest fairly low to the ground, surrounded by dense vegetation like cattails. This female was spotted diligently defending her nest from field trip participants as well as bringing back insects, indicating that the eggs must already be hatched!