Just banded: female red-winged blackbird in hand, Frick Park, 14 May 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
21 May 2022
Seen this week in Schenley and Frick Parks:
At top, bird bander David Yeany holds a recently banded female red-winged blackbird at Frick Park on Migratory Bird Day, 14 May 2022.
On 17 May we looked for warblers along Nine Mile Run’s boardwalk and found many black walnut flowers fallen on the railing.
Old flower from black walnut, 17 May 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
I would have brushed this one away until I saw an insect hiding on it. Do you see the juicy caterpillar, below? This is warbler food!
Warbler food! on an old black walnut flower, 17 May 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
In Schenley Park a carpenter ant examined fading pawpaw flowers that smell like rotten meat, if they smell at all. No rotting meat here. She left.
An ant leaves after exploring fading flowers on a pawpaw tree, 13 May 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Mystery flower of the week was a non-native with thin basal leaves found blooming in the woods in Frick Park. How did star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum sp.), a native of southern Europe and southern Africa, get into the woods? Is it invading?
Star of Bethlehem blooming in the woods at Frick Park, 14 May 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Trees with stacks of white flowers are drawing our attention this week in Pittsburgh. Perhaps you’re wondering “What tree is this? “
Horsechestnuts (Aesculushippocastanum) originated in Greece but have been planted around the world for their beautiful flowers. When fertilized the flowers become the familiar shiny buckeyes I played with as a child.
In Pittsburgh we call the tree a “buckeye” though it is just one of many buckeyes (Aesculus) in our area including natives of North America: yellow, Ohio, and bottlebrush.
A close look at horsechestnut flowers reveals that some have yellow centers, others red.
An abundance of the plant formerly known as squaw root, Schenley Park, 5 May 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
8 May 2022
The first week of May was full of new flowers, leaves, birds and insects. Here are just a few of many sightings.
The ground in Schenley Park is dotted with abundant clusters of cream colored leafless flowers poking up like corn cobs beneath the oaks. Conopholis americana is a parasite on oak roots so we never see the plant itself, only the flowers. Fortunately it doesn’t harm the trees.
Formerly known as squaw root, Conopholis americana has many alternate common names. The accepted name now is “American cancer-root” but that sounds scary and can be misleading. I prefer “bear corn” because it looks like a corn cob and bears do eat it.
While the bear cone bloomed below them, the oaks flowered and leafed out above. This drew in migrating birds to eat the insects that hatch among the leaves.
Red oak flowers and new leaves, Schenley Park, 5 May 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
May’s tiny green caterpillars are too small for me to photograph but here’s what they look like in June, munching on an oak leaf. This is warbler food!
Caterpillar on oak leaf, June 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)
At mid level in Schenley Park the pawpaws (Asimina triloba) opened their bell-like flowers.
Pawpaw in bloom, Schenley Park, 5 May 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Redbud blooming in Frick Park, 28 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
30 April 2022
Thursday morning’s freezing temperature did not affect the redbud trees in Frick Park. I hope it didn’t harm the wildflowers we saw on Wednesday at Enlow Fork in Greene County.
Check the captions for what’s blooming now.
Wild blue phlox, Enlow Fork, 27 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Squirrel corn, Enlow Fork, 27 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)Dwarf larkspur, Enlow Fork, 27 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Corn salad, Enlow Fork, 27 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Blue-eyed Mary, Enlow Fork, 27 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Trout lilies at Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve, 22 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
23 April 2022
Woodland wildflowers are putting on a show right now in southwestern Pennsylvania. Here are just a few of the beauties we saw yesterday at Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve.
Trout lilies (Erythronium americanum), above, are at their peak. Look closely and you’ll find a few of the less common white trout lily (Erythronium albidum), below.
See the captions for the rest of the flowers.
White trout lily, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 22 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Early saxifrage, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 22 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Mud splattered! Large-flower trillium, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 22 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Sessile trillium, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 22 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Smooth rock cress, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 22 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Wild geranium, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 22 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Blue violets, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 22 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
This weekend’s sunny hot weather will put these flowers past their prime soon. It’s time to get outdoors!
p.s. If you go to Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, wear boots! It is very, very muddy.
Harbinger of spring, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 15 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
16 April 2022
Yesterday’s warm and sunny weather brought out woodland flowers that were waiting bloom. I found a good selection at Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve in Beaver County, PA.
Four flowers were at their peak:
Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa), only 5-15 cm (2-6″) tall, is one of the first to bloom.
Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) put on a show because the sun was shining.
Spring beauty, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 15 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Chickweed (Stellaria sp.) was a puzzle without my Newcomb’s Guide. Which one is this? To me the petals look too long for common chickweed, too short for great/star chickweed but the lower leaves have long stalks which says “common” to me.
Chickweed, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 15 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) are a challenge to photograph because they face the ground.
Trout lilies, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 15 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Other plants had one or two representatives while the rest waited to flower soon:
Cutleaf toothwort, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 15 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Small-flowered crowfoot (Ranunculus micranthus), with leaves shaped like crows’ feet, is a member of the Buttercup family. Its small flower can be inconspicuous.
Small-flower crowfoot, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 15 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Virginia bluebells, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve, 15 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Unfortunately yesterday’s gusty winds presaged today’s rain and colder temperatures for the week ahead. (Snow in the sky on Tuesday?!) The flowers at Raccoon may be delayed again.
Meanwhile weeds will not be phased by the change in weather. Look at the sidewalk’s edge to find bird’s-eye speedwell (Veronica persica), a native of Eurasia. I found this one near the feeders at Frick Park. Bird’s eye indeed!
Bird’s eye speedwell, Frick Park, 13 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Almost-blooming native trees including eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) in Frick Park.
Redbud flowers in bud, 7 April 2022 in Frick Park (photo by Kate St. John)
Swelling buds and leaf out on the yellow buckeyes (Aesculus flava) in Schenley Park.
Yellow buckeyes in Schenley Park: buds and leaf out! (photos by Kate St. John)
and Mud Season!
Mud season! after a trek in Schenley Park, 9 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
This year’s cold weather delayed the trees compared to last year on this date. For comparison see Spring Green from 10 April 2021.
And finally: Why did it Rain, Sun, Rain, Sun over and over again yesterday? The National Weather Service radar shows a flock of discrete self-contained rain clouds moving over the landscape.
Spring was on hold during last week’s long hard frost but it’s coming back this week. Here’s what to expect outdoors in the Pittsburgh area.
The earliest warblers arrive in April before the leaves open. Last weekend a Louisiana waterthrush returned to Tom’s Run Nature Reserve in Sewickley PA. Look for them walking along clean streams, bobbing their tails, and singing their very loud song.
Yellow-throated warblers will return to Pittsburgh area creeks and streams on or before 20 April. You’ll hear them before you see them, walking the high trunks and larger branches of sycamores.
Snow trillium, Little Sewickley Creek, Westmoreland County, 3 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Soon we’ll see spring beauty, spicebush, hepatica, harbinger-of-spring, bloodroot, spring cress, twinleaf, violets and more.
Spicebush in Schenley Park, 13 April 2013 (photo by Kate St. John)Bloodroot at Cedar Creek Park, Westmoreland County, 19 April 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)
Squill showing frost damage, 30 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
3 April 2022
As I mentioned last weekend, the weather was lovely on 24 March with a high of 60oF but things went sharply downhill from there. For three and a half days Pittsburgh was below freezing and the weather deteriorated from windy snow on 27 March to lows of 14-19oF and blizzard conditions on 28 March.
Heavy snow & low visibility, 29 March 2022, 12:35pm (photo by Kate St. John)Heavy snow became blizzard conditions, 29 March 2022, 12:35pm (photo by Kate St. John)
Finally the temperature rose rise above freezing at midday 29 March but it was too late for the early-returning tree swallows who had no insects to eat right when they needed lots of food to stay alive. Julie found three dead in the bluebird boxes she tends at Moraine State Park. Fortunately purple martin landlords kept their early birds alive with supplemental feedings.
Flowers took a beating, too. The squill pictured at top bloomed after the frost passed but its tips were damaged. You can see the same effects on northern magnolia bud and flower below.
Frost damage on northern magnolia bud, Schenley Park, 30 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Frost damage on northern magnolia flower, Schenley Park, 30 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Forsythia wilted.
Wilted forsythia flowers after the frost, 28 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Meanwhile some alien plants came through without a scratch. Coltsfoot sent up cheerful flowers in the sunshine on 30 March.
Coltsfoot blooming on Eckert Street, 30 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
And lesser celandine bloomed at Frick Park on 31 March.
Lesser Celandine, Frick Park, 31 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Though tonight’s low will be 31oF the rest of the week will be above freezing, though wet. I hold out hope that April won’t see a long hard frost.
Flowering cherry in Pittsburgh, 24 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
26 March 2022
This week the elms, maples, ornamental cherries and northern magnolias began to bloom in Pittsburgh. Their flowers have not yet reached their peak and that’s a good thing. Tomorrow night the low will be 19 degrees F and will devastate the tender petals.
Above, an ornamental cherry shows off its delicate pink-white blossoms in the sun on Thursday 24 March. Below, a northern magnolia flower peeks out of its winter coat in Schenley Park on Tuesday 22 March.
Northern magnolia flower bud, 22 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Red maple flowers, 22 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), one of the earliest shrubs to bloom in western Pennsylvania, is a Eurasian member of the dogwood family. It can also look like an understory tree.
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) at Moraine State Park, 24 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Also blooming in yellow this week, forsythia is putting out tentative flowers.
Forsythia blooming (photo by Kate St. John)
And at Frick Park the hellebore planted near the Environmental Education Center is in full bloom (probably Hellebore odorus). I wonder if these nodding flowers will survive the cold.
Hellebore in bloom in Frick Park, 25 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Meanwhile I’m not worried about the new leaves on these hardy invasive plants. I doubt they’ll be damaged by the cold.
Bush honeysuckle leaf out in Frick Park, 21 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Privet leaf out in Oakland, 23 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Garlic mustard leaf out in Frick Park, 21 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Take a look at flowers today. They’ll be gone tomorrow night.
