Carolina Spring Beauty

The first of the spring beauties are up and blooming around the cabin. The one in today’s photo is the Carolina spring beauty (Claytonia Carolina). I usually have the other spring beauty (C. virginica) too, but I haven’t seen that one yet. The two are very similar, and for me the best way to distinguish them is by the leaves. The leaves on the Carolina are roundish, as you can see here, while the end of the leaves on the other one are pointy.

At the moment, spring 2008 is just slightly ahead of spring 2007. Last year’s first spring beauty photo was posted on April 17. I’ve discovered that blog labels are an excellent and fast way to facilitate keeping track of such things. Keeping track of the first this and the last that, especially in this era of global warming, should, eventually, offer fairly immediate documentation of the changes. Likely everyone else discovered this fact years ago, while I am only now realizing how nicely that feature can be used. I haven’t always been so diligent with my blog labels, though, so I’ve started going back through my archives and updating them.

Bloodroot is also about ready to bloom. I’ve expected to see the blooms open for the past three days, but so far they’ve all been closed during the hours I’m at the cabin.

Migration has slowed again here on the mountain. The winds have been from the northwest the past two days, and since birds heading north don’t much care to fight headwinds, they are likely sitting tight and waiting for more favorable winds.

I’ve had frost the past two nights, and I think that is what has temporarily quieted the spring peepers. Still, even with the chilly mornings, the new season has now progressed to the point where even with frost in the mornings the days still feel like spring.