A Walk at Garbry Big Woods Sanctuary, April 14, 2014

Rain was threatening when we arrived at Garbry Big Woods Sanctuary but we decided to take a chance.  This is the first walk we have taken this spring at Garbry.  We have been spending a lot of time looking at birds rather than wildflowers.

I was hoping to find a few Harbinger-of-Spring still blooming.

The first flowers we noticed were the Sessile Trillium and the Spring Beauties.  We had seen Spring Beauties at Charleston Falls on Saturday but the blooming Sessile Trillium were the first we've  seen this year.

We saw lots of Bloodroot past their prime but there were still plenty blooming.

Sheltered by the roots of a tree we saw a yellow Troutlily (also called Adder's Tongue or Dogtooth Violet).   Lots of other Troutlily buds were closed tighter than this one.

Both of us were surprised to see the wide open umbrella leaves of the Mayapples.  On Saturday, the Mayapples at Brukner were just beginning to unfurl.

This Mayapple is showing a  bud between the two leaves.

Purple Cress were blooming beside the swallow wet depression  under the boardwalk.  The depression is part of a usually wet area that meanders across the woods.

A bit further along the boardwalk we came across a Redcap mushroom near a single leaf of Wild Leek (also called Ramps).  To the right is one of the Waterleaf species that grow in this wet woods.

We came across a smattering of open Troutlilies as well as many that were still in bud.

I was surprised to see a Blue Cohosh flower.  The Waterleaf in this picture is the other type that grows in this woods.

Some of the Dutchmen's Breeches were blooming and the Large-flowered Trillium were in bud.  Here and there a bud was showed a bit of white.  The one on the right in this photo is not that far along.

Tom pointed out this Rue Anemone.  There were a few others as well...not many.  We saw less than a dozen.     The three lily-like leaves belong to a Wild Leek.                            

                                              

I was still looking for the elusive Harbinger-of-Spring.  Finally, I found what might have been the last two tiny bouquets of the season.

The rain didn't arrive until we were pulling into our driveway.  Good timing.

And the visit to Garbry was well-timed, too.  Below is what we woke up to the next morning.