Category Archives: Phenology

Seen This Week

Prothontary warbler in Frick Park, 25 May 2023 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)

27 May 2023

This week’s big news was the unexpected prothonotary warbler that Charity Kheshgi and I found in Frick Park on 25 May. He was still present yesterday but BirdCast showed birds migrating out of our area last night so we’ll see if he’s still there this morning.

Migration is nearly over and the dominant landscape color in Pittsburgh now is green. It’s hard to remember that only five weeks ago (23 April) most of the trees were brown.

Daisies are blooming along meadows and roadsides, invasive wineberry is in bud, and bladdernuts have already formed green seed pods in the city parks.

Daisy blooming at Schenley Park, 22 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Wineberry leaves and buds, Schenley Park, 22 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Bladdernut seed pods, Frick Park, 23 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

On our walk in Frick Park on 23 May, Charity and I saw many deer including an obviously pregnant doe who looked ready to drop twin fawns. We wondered where she would hide them now that the browseline makes it possible to see right through the woods.

This deer-browsed Japanese knotweed shows how little food remains for deer in Frick. Normally they don’t eat Japanese knotweed but with few native plants left they are hungry enough to try it now.

Deer damage on Japanese knotweed, Frick Park, 23 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

In Schenley Park the color green extends to the rampant algae in Panther Hollow Lake. See last November’s article on why the lake has algae so often.

Algae in Panther Hollow Lake, Schenley Park, 26 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

What birds will we see this weekend? Come to my Schenley Park outing tomorrow, 28 May, to find out.

(photos by Kate St. John)

Seen This Week + Carla Falcon In The News

Mitrewort, Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve, 16 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

20 May 2023

This was a good week for birds and flowers. But first, no day would be complete without news of the Pitt peregrines.


Carla the Falcon was featured in the Pitt News at “A new peregrine falcon moved into the Cathedral of Learning.” Watch for her on the National Aviary Falconcam at the Cathedral of Learning.

Carla the Falcon at Pitt, 18 May 2023, 11:24a (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Seen This Week: While out birding on Tuesday I noticed blooming flowers and unusual leaves at Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve. Mitrewort (Mitella diphylla), at top, is one of my favorites because of its delicate, intricate flowers.

The Greek genus name of Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) roughly means “bird’s milk.”

Star-of-Bethlehem, Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve, 16 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

This red leaf gall caught my attention, but the bulk of it is under of the leaf and colored green (second photo). Does anyone know the name of this gall?

Upper side of leaf gall, Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve, 16 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Underside of leaf gall, Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve, 16 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

Large-flowered valerian (Valeriana pauciflora) is in bud and in bloom at Raccoon Wildlfower Reserve.

Largeflower valerian, in bud and blooming, Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve, 16 May 2023 (photos by Kate St. John)

Meanwhile jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is blooming in Schenley Park. I could not resist raising his lid.

Jack-in-the-pulpit, normal pose and lid raised, Schenley Park, 19 May 2023 (photos by Kate St. John)

(flower photos by Kate St. John; peregrine photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Seen This Week and Earlier

A flying insect on my 6th floor window, 4 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

13 May 2023

I’ve known for years that chimney swifts eat flying bugs as they zip around above us but I didn’t think about the variety of insects they encounter. Now that I live in a high-rise flying insects sometimes perch outside my window. This elegant bit of “chimney swift food” visited my window more than a week ago.

This week I spent four days birding at Magee Marsh, Ohio on Lake Erie’s shore where I saw 113 species including 20 species of warblers. See my eBird trip report here.

The warblers were on time but the plants were late compared to Pittsburgh. Places near the lake have a later growing season because water temperature changes more slowly than land and influences local weather. Instead of deep green leaves, the trees had tiny leaves and the oaks were still flowering.

Woodland wildflowers were also still in bloom. At Pearson Metropark in Oregon, Ohio I found wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), star-flowered lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum stellatum) and wild ginger (Asarum canadense).

Wild geranium, Pearson Metropark, 9 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

Star-flowered lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum stellatum)

Star-flowered lily-of-the-valley , Pearson Metropark, 9 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Wild ginger, Pearson Metropark, 9 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

This blooming plant was new to me: American black currant (Ribes americanum)

American black currant, Pearson Metropark, 9 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

On the subject of green things, last weekend in Schenley Park this small cascade pond on Phipps Run was too green with clumpy algae. Algae is unusual for Phipps Run. Something went wrong … but what?

Phipps Run cascade pond with rampant algae, Schenley Park, 7 May 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

(photos by Kate St. John)

Today’s the Day to Check the Redbuds

Redbud phenology on 4 May 1915 and 2017 (photo of herbarium specimens collected at Powers Run, O’Hara Twp, housed at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh)

4 May 2023

Today, May 4, is the same day of the year that two redbud (Cercis canadensis) specimens were collected at Powers Run in O’Hara Township, Allegheny County somewhere near this dropped pin. They are pictured side-by-side above from the Botany Collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

The specimen on the left is just beginning to flower on 4 May 1915. The specimen on the right, collected 102 years later on 4 May 2017, is in full leaf with incipient seed pods.

It’s been six years since the 2017 specimen was collected and in that time climate change seems to have sped up. How are the redbuds affected this year? Did the cold wet weather slow them down? How big are the leaves? Are there seed pods yet?

Today’s the day to check the redbuds and see how much our crazy climate change weather has made a difference in 108 years.

p.s. On my trip to Enlow Fork on 26 April I noted that, surprisingly, there was no big change to blooming times of Enlow’s flowers this year.

(photo by Kate St. John taken at the We Are Nature exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in November 2017)

Seen at Enlow Fork, 26 April 2023

Large-flowered trillium, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

29 April 2023

Tomorrow is the big Enlow Fork Extravaganza at State Gamelands 302 on the border of Washington and Greene Counties. Known for its wildflowers and birds, the site is called “Enlow Fork” because its defining feature is the creek that runs through it, the Enlow Fork of Wheeling Creek.

Though tomorrow’s weather looks like rain, my friend Barb Griffith and I had a nice day there on Wednesday April 26.

At Enlow Fork, 26 April 2023 (photo by Barb Griffith)

We saw 45 species of birds including First of Year gray catbird, Baltimore oriole and American redstarts (checklist is here). We were disappointed not to find any wood thrushes, scarlet tanagers or rose-breasted grosbeaks though we have seen them there in late April in years past.

Spring leafout at Enlow Fork was late compared to the City of Pittsburgh, even though Enlow is 40 miles south of town. The side-by-side photos below show leafout at Schenley Park and at Enlow Fork on virtually the same day. I didn’t expect our urban heat island to make that much difference.

Leafout comparison: Schenley Park 25 April, Enlow Fork 26 April 2023 (photos by Kate St. John)

Lack of leaves and much less deer browse made the wildflowers superb. Here are just a few of those we saw. As always, if I’ve misidentified any, please let me know.

(photos by Barb Griffith and Kate St. John)

Seen This Week, 15-21 April

Virginia bluebells at Harrison Hills Park, 15 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

22 April 2023

This week in Pittsburgh began 15 degrees above normal, dipped to freezing (10 degrees below normal), then soared back into the 80s. The flowers and leaves coped.

On Saturday 15 April I visited Harrison Hills Park and found busy insects pollinating Virginia bluebells, golden ragwort, spring beauties and garlic mustard.

Golden ragwort at Harrison Hills Park, 15 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Ant in a Spring beauty flower at Harrison Hills Park, 15 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

Garlic mustard is in bloom everywhere right now but I rarely take a picture of it.

Garlic mustard blooming at Harrison Hills Park, 15 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

On Monday 17 April at Schenley Park, jetbead, greater celandine, and common blue violets were in bloom.

Jetbead, Schenley Park, 17 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Greater celandine blooming at Schenley Park, 17 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Common blue violet, Schenley Park, 17 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

The poison ivy leaves were small on Monday but are much larger now.

Poison ivy leafing out, Schenley Park, 17 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

By yesterday, 21 April, the redbud was seriously leafing out in Schenley.

Redbud leafing out, Schenley Park, 21 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

These two photos show Schenley’s leafout progress: The first below is a yellow buckeye near Anderson Playground on 17 April. The second is the same yellow buckeye 4 days later! It’s hard to see Panther Hollow Lake through the trees.

Yellow buckeye in Full Leaf near Anderson Playground, Schenley Park, 17 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Yellow buckeye 4 days later, Schenley Park, 21 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

New birds! Yesterday I saw my first of year house wrens and chimney swifts (my Schenley eBird checklist here). Today I’ll dodge the raindrops to find the wood thrush reported by friends near Circuit Drive / Serpentine Road.

Happy Earth Day!

(photos by Kate St. John)

Seen This Week

Bluets, Knob Hill Community Park, 14 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

15 April 2023

More flowers bloomed and more trees leafed out as hot summer weather continued this week.

I saw a few bluets (Houstonia) and spring beauty (Claytonia) at Knob Hill Community Park yesterday.

Spring beauty, Knob Hill Community Park, 14 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

In Frick Park on Thursday this box elder (Acer negundo) was blooming and leafing out at the same time.

Box edler flowers and leafout, Frick Park, 13 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

But many native trees still looked bare, such as the oaks on this hillside.

Progress of leafout at Frick Park, 13 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

The slowness of native trees made last weekend the perfect time to see the invasive extent of Callery pears (Pyrus calleryana). Native white-flowering trees, such as serviceberry and wild cherry, were not blooming yet so the only white trees in the landscape were the Callery pears.

On 8 April at the Ridge Road interchange on the Parkway West (I-376) I found thick stands of Callery pears as far as the eye could see (first 2 slides below). The trees gained a foothold in disturbed soil after construction of the Ridge Road interchange in 2006 and Settlers Ridge shopping center in 2009. The third slide shows Callery pears in the woods at Wingfield Pines.

Callery pears were banned in PA in 2021. As you can see, we “locked the barn door after the horse got out.”

p.s. This weekend the downy serviceberries are blooming (white) and the Callery pears are growing leaves (white+green) so it’s no longer possible to pinpoint the invasive species.

(photos by Kate St. John)

Pittsburgh Redbuds 7 Years On

A redbud branch in full bloom, Frick Park, 12 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

13 April 2023

Hot weather this week is speeding up spring and Pittsburgh’s redbuds are bursting into bloom. Yesterday at Frick Park I found most buds ready to burst with a few branches in full bloom.

Redbuds seem to be everywhere now but this wasn’t always the case.

Seven years ago the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy launched Pittsburgh’s Redbud Project to beautify Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. Envisioned by landscape architect Frank Dawson, the goal was to make Pittsburgh as beautiful with native redbud trees as D.C. is during the Cherry Blossom Festival.

They originally planned for 1,200 trees but by now they’ve planted three times that many along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio riverfronts. The project also inspired redbud plantings in Pittsburgh’s parks and neighborhoods by Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Tree Pittsburgh.

Seven years ago today I wrote about the Pittsburgh Redbud Project as I was about to participate in the launch event on 19 April 2016. We gathered for tree planting on the North Shore near the Mister Rogers statue and learned why our assignment — digging holes! — was so important for a tree this size.

Pittsburgh Redbud Project: Volunteers watch how it’s done, Pittsburgh’s North Shore, 19 April 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

The trees have now been in place for seven years and they are beautiful. This stand near the Frick Environmental Education Center drew attention yesterday even though they were still in bud.

Redbuds drawing attention at Frick Park, 12 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

With temperatures in the low 80s this weekend will be the perfect time to see redbuds at their best.

Check out the Visit Pittsburgh website — Insider’s Guide: Pittsburgh Redbuds — for tips on where to go and photos of what you’ll see.

It’s definitely time to get outdoors!

(photos by Kate St. John, Pittsburgh Redbud Project logo from Western PA Conservancy)

Spring Checkup: Where Are We Now?

Red maple flowers are now seeds, leaf buds about to burst, 10 April 2023, North Oakland (photo by Kate St. John)

11 April 2023

During February’s heat wave I was sure Spring would be extremely early this year in Pittsburgh. Then temperatures dropped in March and everything paused. Yesterday the flowers on this red maple were giving way to seeds while the leaf bud was opening. Is this normal for early April? It’s time for a Spring checkup. Where are we now?

Spring’s progress is easy to see in this USA National Phenology Network animation. Leaf out raced northward in February producing dark red-brown in the places with an earliest Spring on record. In mid-March the racing stopped and gave way to paler red across PA and New York state. But what’s the dark blue in Kansas and the Southwest? It’s a very late Spring.

Spring leaf index anomaly animation for 2023 (map from USA National Phenology Network)

[As of 10 April 2023] Spring is 11 days late in Denver, CO, 2 days late in Chicago, IL, and 2 days early in Albany, NY. The West is mostly late. Yakima, WA is 12 days late, Boise, ID is 20 days late.

USA NPN: Status of Spring as of 10 April 2023

Most of Pennsylvania is close to normal compared to baseline years 1981-2015. Pale green is OK. Dark green is not. Southcentral and southeastern PA were off-the-chart early.

Spring leaf index return interval as of 10 April 2023 (map from USA National Phenology Network)

As you can see by the splash of color on the map, bush honeysuckle, the Spring leaf out indicator, has finished in Pennsylvania. You can follow the progress of spring blooms and check on the rest of the country at USA National Phenology Network.

(photo by Kate St. John, maps from USA National Phenology Network)

Seen This Week

Coltsfoot blooming in Schenley Park, 1 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

8 April 2023

This week the temperature stayed above freezing (until this morning) and set a record 85ºF on Wednesday. On a walk in Schenley Park last Saturday 1 April I saw coltsfoot in bloom, Virginia bluebells in bud and flowering Norway maples.

Virginia bluebells about to bloom, Schenley Park, 1 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

By the end of the week the city’s Norway maples had bloomed enough that their profiles looked like green balls instead of stick trees. You’ll can see this on the slope of Mt Washington as viewed from Downtown or the Bluff.

Norway maples flowering, Schenley Park, 1 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

By mid week it was sunny and HOT.

On Wednesday 5 April I visited the Lake Trail at Raccoon Creek State Park to find newly arrived Louisiana waterthrushes (). Near one of the singing birds was a puddle of trilling and mating American toads. I recorded their sound and added a my (lousy) photo of mating toads + a Wikimedia photo of the Louisiana waterthrush when he sings in the recording. You can also hear the wind on the mic.

video by Kate StJohn Birdblog on YouTube

Also at Raccoon: spring beauty () and yellow corydalis (). I wish I could have stayed longer.

Spring beauty, Raccoon Creek State Park, Lake Trail, 5 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
Yellow corydalis, Raccoon Creek State Park Lake Trail, 5 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

Remember the yellow buckeyes in Schenley Park from last week? Here’s what they looked like yesterday!

Yellow buckeye leafout progress, Schenley Park, 7 April 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

More Spring to come.

(photos and video by Kate St. John)