Woodland wildflowers in spring

A patch of Yellow Trout Lily in all their glory found in a trail’s bottomlands. Most trout lilies that we saw were burnt and faded from unseasonable heat.

Into the woods in search of spring wildflowers on one of my favorite treks of the year. What will be in bloom? Will we be too early or too late — or both? Timing is tricky. These flowers provide nectar and pollen for early bees, butterflies and other insects, and they are fleeting.

But our timing was good and, with a little extra effort — if anyone can call this effort — we were rewarded.

Showy Orchis, one of Maryland’s native orchids

Mayapple. Most that we saw were still in bud stage. It took some diligence to find one in full bloom. (Actually TWO. There is a second blossom blurred in the background.)

Slender Toothwort

Spring Beauties are among the earliest ephemerals to bloom

Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Its payoff is in the fall when birds and wildlife consume the clusters of red berries that form on the stalk.

Dwarf Ginseng, a relative of American Ginseng but without the medicinal properties

Star Chickweed

Solomon’s Seal, budding but not yet in bloom. A reason to return.

Rue Anenome is pinkish when the blossoms begin to open

Twoleaf Mitrewort

Also called Bishops Cap

Small White Violet

Dog Violet

Hoping to return and to visit other favorite patches while spring wildflowers are blooming.

Welcome back, herons!

Yellow-crowned Night Heron pair claims a nest

Yellow-crowned Night Herons have returned to my leafy neighborhood, with all signs pointing to plans to nest. This choice is an unlikely nesting spot for wading birds — a canopy of trees over a street, rather than trees bordering a creek or wetland with easy access to their preferred diet of crabs, crayfish and other crustaceans. Yet, Yellow-crowned Night Herons have successfully nested here for several years. Last year’s nest fledged four healthy-looking young.

Yellow-crowned Night Herons preening in the sunshine

Facing opposite directions to watch for predators

These birds likely spent the winter in the West Indies. They are now improving a nest that has been used in past years. Did they nest here before or fledge from here? There is speculation that Yellow-crowneds return to their previous or natal nesting areas. No way to know for sure. For a relatively common bird globally, there is much that is not known about them. Maybe tracking them is difficult because they nest as high as 50 feet off the ground and often hunt at night. According to the US bird banding database, in the last 60+ years only ten banded Yellow-crowned Night Herons have been spotted or recovered.

Something caught her attention

Working on the nest

Why would a crustacean-eating, wading bird species repeatedly choose a city street for a nest site? My guess has been that the tree canopy mimics a stream bed. However, reports of similar Yellow-crowned Night Heron urban rookeries elsewhere in the Chesapeake watershed suggest that busy human and automobile activity discourages raids by raccoons and similar predators — that is, it’s a protective strategy, not a mistake. That makes our Yellow-crowned Night Herons look pretty clever.

Good luck with your nest, neighbors!