Why We Pull Garlic Mustard

It is good to be reminded once in a while why we do the back-aching work of invasive species control.  I've been out to "our" swamp in the woods of the Brighton Rec Area several times already this year, but I was not prepared for the burst of life I saw when Lori and I went out to pull garlic mustard yesterday.  We have, it seems, hit our peak.

I have never seen trillium in the numbers I've seen this year.  Whether that's due to the mild winter or a lack of deer browse or both I don't know.  In the past they had generally been concentrated in one area, what we call Trillium Hill, with a smattering of plants in the surrounding area.  This year though there's easily several acres of them, and we started to see them much farther up the trail as we were approaching the swamp.  Jack-in-the-pulpit are extra plentiful too, as are wild geranium, which have just started to bloom in the higher, dryer areas along the trail.

Trilium Hill

Here are some of the other reasons we manage this precious woodland area:

Early meadow rue

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Maidenhair fern, just beginning to unfurl

Miter wort (better photo than my last post)

Downy yellow violet

Solomon seal

There are many organizations that are in need of volunteers to help manage and restore lands.  If you want to make a difference, Google "stewardship program" or "invasive species control" in your area, and get off the computer and out in the woods!

Peepers and Polygonia

When you work slowly through the woods you have an opportunity for some chance encounters with its residents.  Birds of course are plentiful near the swamp, and I often see a Pileated woodpecker in the area.  A few weeks ago I had a white tailed deer trot past quite close while I sat on a log taking a break, and last week a Barred owl hooted twice from very near.

This day though the visitors where quite a bit smaller.  As I worked though the area between the swamp and the marsh I noticed quick movement out of the corner of my eye.  I stopped and looked closely, finally finding this spring peeper.  I was surprised by its light gray color.  I haven't read that they change color based on their surroundings but...

Spring peeper--no bigger than my thumb nail.

...when I came across another in the leaf litter that was very brown I had to wonder.

Spring peeper--notice the "X" on its back.

So many of the spring flowers were in bloom it was difficult to make note of them all.  The tiny flowers of this miterwort (or Bishop's Cap) was back lit by the sun.

Miterwort

Fiddleheads were everywhere too, and I saw many interrupted ferns emerging.

Interrupted fern

The delicate bloom of the bellwort swayed in the wind.

Bellwort (or wild oats)

Not sure why but there has been an explosion of red admiral butterflies this spring.  They are literally everywhere, even at home.  I had one bounce off my forehead when I went out to the van late one evening last week.  I must have seen a hundred along the path.

Red admiral

I was very excited to catch this question mark butterfly.  I haven't seen one in quite some time.  While a bit tattered, it's still a beauty.

This butterfly has a great Latin name: Polygonia interrogationis

I need to get back out to the woods to do some more garlic mustard pulling, but it has been quite windy, and I tend to stay out of wooded areas in high winds.  There have been a lot of trees down, especially in that area, and I don't want to chance getting bonked on the head!