Another Nice Walk in the Woods

 

I saw two wonderful things while walking in a mature hardwood forest in central NJ this week. The big pileated woodpecker pictured above was calling loudly and pecking insects off a fallen log. Pileated woodpeckers can be about 20 inches long with a wingspan of more than two feet! It was one big woodpecker! Click to enlarge. 

Then this! It's a jack-in-the-pulpit. A shade specialist and very exciting to stumble across.  

From a 19th century poem by Clara Smith: 

"Jack-in-the-pulpit preaches today,

under the green trees just over the way."

  

April Woodland Wildflowers

I was wildflower hunting in the spring woods of Pennsylvania this week. Here are some of the pretty things I found. Click to enlarge.

 

Great white trilliums.  

Yellow trillium, also called yellow toad shade. 

Purple toad shade, also called little sweet Betsy. 

And the lovely trout lily, or yellow adder's tongue. 

  

 

Spring Nesting

 

This spring I am monitoring nest boxes at a local county park again. For the past several years, I've watched tree swallows like the one above, build nests and rear young. Click to enlarge. 

Before settling in, birds investigate the nest sites. Today this one landed on one of mine and then flew away. And then...

This eastern bluebird showed up! Bluebirds also use these boxes, but I haven't so far had them use my boxes. I would love to photograph them nesting.  

Which will it be? Swallows or bluebirds? We will find out soon. 

Happy Easter

 

I met this eastern cottontail rabbit on my street yesterday. Timely appearance, rabbit. May everyone's Easter be happy and peaceful.