Spring has really sprung now.
Today the temperature got to almost 65 degrees. And it was sunny, for the first time in about 2 weeks. Mike did a nice post with comparison photos from yesterday and today – the snow is disappearing fast.
I saw my first butterflies of the season.
Compton Tortoiseshell
Mourning Cloak
and about a dozen Infant Moths
The snow is nearly gone except on the north-facing hillsides. When the snow melts, there are patches of white mold on the dead leaves. It’s interesting to look at closely – from a distance it looks like spider webbing.
But looking closer, it has a beautiful lacy pattern.
There have been lots of caterpillars wandering across the paths and the road in the last few weeks. The most common have been Ctenucha Moth caterpillars. I collected a few to keep in a jar, to watch them transform into adults.
When they’re startled, they curl up into a spiral.
There were also several Woolly Bear caterpillars – known as Isabella Tiger Moths when they’re adults.
This is a view from the Big View Prairie bench – from yesterday. I’m sure there’s even less snow today, after 60 degree temperatures.
I walked up Sumac Prairie – I always check there for the first flowers. No flowers out yet, but there are tiny plants starting to grow in the warm sun. These are Common Whitlow Grass – a tiny annual in the mustard family that’s one of the first plants to bloom on our prairie remnants. Each plant is only a few millimeters across. In a few weeks they’ll each have a long stalk with a few small white four-petaled flowers.
I did find some flowers blooming today – near the old farm house. The remains of the lawn still has some garden plants left, and the crocuses were out.