As we work our way through this marvelous month of May, it is hard to not notice nature happenings. Recent rains mixed with days of sunlight have brought dozens of spring wildflowers in bloom. Early ones that thrive in the available sunlight on the forest floor may be waning now, but they are quickly replaced by the next batch: those that can tolerate the shade.
We will continue to see these forest wildflowers for a couple weeks. Also, the forest floor erupts with new growths of ferns. No flowers for them, as they open fiddleheads — new leaves (fronds) that unroll from underground stems (rhizomes).
The trees also get into the flowering mode and their blossoms fill the branches during these spring weeks. Starting with the small trees of plum, cherry, juneberry and elder, they are soon joined by apples, mountain ashes and lilacs. Trees are leafing, too, and during this amazing month, the forest begins devoid of green foliage but emerges with a rich-green growth.
Many of the large trees, oaks, maples and basswoods, are some of the last ones to leaf. As we look at these foliating forest trees, we often see the movements of birds, another feature of May. Many of these are migrants and they grace the woods with their beautiful plumage and song.
Now we can see orioles, grosbeaks, tanagers, thrushes, hummingbirds, vireos and perhaps a dozen or more warblers. ADVERTISEMENT In the wetlands, the early spring trio of calling frogs — wood frogs, chorus frogs and spring peepers — are.