Enjoying the fog and mist

is about the best you can do this week so here are some pictures from my travels down Cape yesterday.

The view from Fort Hill was softened in the fog until there was no ocean to see....

This old apple tree nearly blended into the phragmites and the marsh beyond like a soft impressionist painting...

Monet himself would have loved this red grass...

and he probably would have loved the fields of wild yellow mustard as well...

Sure it's nice to have a warm sunny day but there's something quite lovely about a misty foggy day as well. Good thing, since we have quite a few of them at this time of year!

The Trout lily...

Erythronium americanum is also called Adder's Tongue or Dogtooth Violet, depending on who you're talking to. It is in the lily family, not the violet family and it is one of my favorite spring flowers.

It is easy to overlook for it is small and quite subtle. It blooms in early spring through the leaves from last fall and for me, is like a little ray of sunshine on the tired, rusty colored ground.

It is one of those little plants that children find while playing in the woods and as adults we often have fond memories attached to them. For me, this was a plant my grandmother loved and that we had in the woods behind the house I grew up in here in Hyannis. I don't know how many of these sweet plants actually survive in Hyannis these days but look in forgotten swampy type places to see if you can find any. Here's a link with more information about the trout lily.

Migration Express....

Every morning brings new birds to our lovely peninsula and just keeping up is getting to be a challenge. Warblers are beginning to arrive but they don't hit their peak for another week or so. It's time to crack open those bird guides and catch up on your auditory skills! The migratory express is here!

Tree swallows are here....so are barn swallows, towhees and great crested flycatchers....

Eastern phoebes are setting up nesting already and can be heard calling in many neighborhoods...watch for their bobbing tail if you are unsure of which bird you are seeing...and if you hear their scratchy Fee-bee call you'll know for sure.

Hummingbirds are here...can orioles be far behind?

What migratory birds are you still waiting for?

When the cardinals sing...

first thing in the morning...how can you not smile?

Actually, the first time I heard this guy sing this morning it was still dark out but he has been out there declaring  my yard territory since dawn....

Piping Plovers

Piping plovers are little shorebirds that are among the few that actually breed and nest here on Cape Cod. Although we have many shorebirds at area beaches and marshes in the spring and fall most are just moving through and stop to feed here and rest before heading farther north where they breed.If you live anywhere near a beach on the east coast you are probably well aware that piping plovers are endangered, mostly because they happen to like the same sandy beaches we humans like. As you can see in these photos piping plovers are very well camouflaged and many people probably walk right by them on the beach without seeing them.
Their good camouflage protects them from predators but it also causes problems for them and their little ones. Their nests get stepped on, the little ones get separated from the parents and animals, including dogs, chase them or scare them. Many beach dog walkers insist that their dog would never harm a bird and that may be true. What they don't realize is that the very presence of a dog can scare these birds in a way that may result in nest abandonment and even death. A dog, after all, resembles natural predators such as foxes and coyotes which these birds are programmed to avoid and fear.
Other things that can threaten these nesting birds on the beach are kites, noise and vehicles. Kites themselves are not dangerous but many birds, including plovers, have an instinctual response to large flying shadows. They don't look to see if it is a kite or hawk or crow. They just respond to the potential of imminent danger and this can cause them so much stress that again, they may abandon their nests.

As you know, many parts of area beaches get closed at this time of year to protect these little guys. This makes some people very angry, especially those that can't drive on the beach for a few weeks. While I understand that people don't like to have their activities changed or suspended for a while I personally don't think waiting a few weeks hurts anyone as much as not waiting could hurt an entire species.

This week we should begin seeing baby plovers. They can be very difficult to see but are worth the effort. They resemble puffy little cotton balls on toothpick legs for the first week or so and run like the dickens. I don't know if I'll be able to get photos with my zoom lens but if I do I'll be sure to post them.

Beach Plum in Bloom

Just about everywhere on Cape Cod right now, including along many parts of the middle strip of Rt. 6, you may be seeing rambling bushes full of fluffy white flowers. Not to be confused with the leggier, taller and much less compact shad bush, these bushes are usually quite compact and just jammed with flowers.They almost look like cotton balls got stuck on them when you see them from the distance.
Beach plum is a hardy plant that seems to thrive in poor, sandy soil. They grow along the sides of marshes, woodlands, in shore side fields and even along the roadside. After the flowers fade they will set fruit and by August they will have tons of little ripe purple plums that usually end up in one of Cape Cod's favorite trademark jellies. That is if the birds, foxes and other animals don't eat them first.

The beach plum is often confused with the rosa rugosa or beach rose because of the big orange red fruits that set after the roses bloom. Those, however, are rose hips and that's a whole other story.

Looking for Stars in the Woods

A lovely walk at Pilgrim Heights in Truro the other day revealed all sorts of spring flower activity. All these Canada mayflowers (also known as false lily of the valley) are getting ready to bloom.If you enlarge this photo you will see hundreds of little plants with a rosette pattern to the leaves which means only one thing....
Soon all the star flowers will be in bloom!
Here is one little early bird. Most weren't even in bud yet. These little woodland flowers bloom before the canopy leafs in and this year it is a bit of a race. If you're out this week look for both the Canada mayflower and the star flowers. Many other woodland plants are also in bloom and we'll look at some of them later in the week.

Turtle Time in the Sun

I love turtles and at this time of year they are easy to find, especially if you are near a pond on a sunny day. It is hard to tell from this picture but this is a very small, about 2" big, painted turtle sitting on a clump of mud in a shallow pond.These painted turtles were all lined up at the edge of another pond....
And this one is poised to dive in if I make a step closer (which I didn't)
And this turtle has a new friend....

Can you name these buds?

The person who gives the most correct answers will win a small special surprise. You don't have to be too specific, type of tree or shrub will be enough. You may answer here or on Facebook where the post will be posted also.





Good luck! I will post the answers on Saturday.

When this bush blooms...

it means it is time for something wonderful to be going on....See the little white blossoms?
I'll give you a hint....
This is called shad bush....and I'll write more about what it signifies tomorrow.

This spring we have had such good weather that the shad bush was not the first blooming wild bush, which it often is. Most years it is the first sign of life along the ponds and streams and in the yore of old it meant something very special....do you know what it was and still is?

Fiddle Dee and Fiddle Dum

getting ready to make hundreds more of them!The little fiddler crab in my hands is still a little cold stunned early in the morning. He was pretty sluggish but it didn't take long for him to get warmed up....
and get a little feisty, too! Only the male fiddler crabs have the trademark fiddle claw and it is used more for flirting than hurting. It is not unusual to come across a colony of burrows filled with anxious male crabs waving their claws in the air hoping to claim some attention....
Here you can see a female approaching the burrow of a waiting male. Although the males can be patient and entice a female to come into their burrow they can also be a bit....grabby....if you catch my drift.
Another male marching sideways across the sand....and then down below you'll see that they will sometimes get a bit argumentative as well. The outside male in this case marched right over to the burrow and grabbed the other crab's claw. The second crab withdrew quickly into its burrow.
Have you ever seen these little guys? They are all over the Cape. These were photographed in Centerville and in Wellfleet this past week. Where is your favorite spot to find them?

Can you see it?

There's someone hiding in these photos....do you see it?

Which frog is this?

Is this a green frog or a bullfrog?
Check in tomorrow and we'll talk about how to tell the difference....

Painted Turtles

Painted turtles are probably our most common turtle on Cape Cod. They certainly are the easiest to find and see. On warm afternoons some areas have spots where over a hundred turtles may be seen basking in the sun together.Have you seen a turtle yet this spring on the Cape? Watch for them in fresh water ponds or lakes along the shore. They love to rest on small tussocks of dirt and vegetation such as this or on half submerged logs where they can easily slip into the water if danger approaches. Soon you will see turtles of all kinds traveling about looking for mates so keep your eyes open!

We have several other fresh water turtles that live on the Cape. Can you name them all?

More Mayflowers

Mayflowers, also called trailing arbutus are so close to the ground and so early in the spring that many people never see or notice them. They can often be found along wooded paths where the leaves haven't come out on the trees yet and where the ground is sort of hilly, dry and maybe even a bit poor or rough. Here you can see a little patch of them along a path. If you weren't looking for them you might not see them.Here's a close up view. You can see they barely peek out of the leaves on the forest floor.
These blossoms had a nice pink color. They can range in color from pure white to pinkish to these almost pink flowers.
Mayflowers are in bloom all over Cape Cod right now so if you're out and around, go see if you can find some. The top two photos were from the Hathaway's Pond trails in Hyannis the bottom was from the Skunknett Audubon Sanctuary in Osterville.

Go See the Whales....

Now!

The right whales are feeding in Cape Cod Bay and so are the returning humpback whales, pilot whales and dolphins. You can see them from the Provincetown beaches with both binoculars and your bare eyes. Having said that, young children may have difficulty because the sightings are quick and far away....

But if you can, skip work, skip school, skip your appointments and run, don't walk, to Provincetown and go see the whales!

Seriously.....it is a most amazing show!

A Rare Sighting....

Something very rare is happening on Cape Cod right now....



Spring! I hope you can get outside and enjoy it!