Thursday Hikers

Bear Swamp is one of our favorite hikes, repeated every May at this time because of the plethora of wildflowers and, of course, the great friendship along the way. I also hiked with MA Audubon yesterday and Franklin Land Trust on Tuesday. Here’s a list of the plants I’ve seen in the past two days: painted trillium, red trillium, mitre wort, foam flower, hobble bush virburum, maple leaf viburnam, sessile bellwort (wlld oats), false and true Solomon’s seal, bane berry, red elderberry, white, yellow, and purple violets of all kinds, squirrel corn, dutchman’s breeches, clintonia, spring beauty, ginger, native honeysuckle, native barberry (it has a yellow berry), marsh marigold, canada mayflower, star flower, indian cucumber, sarsaparilla, striped maple in bloom, virginia waterleaf, jack in the pulpit, blue cohosh, toothwort, early coral root orchid, swamp saxifrage, zizia (or golden alexander), goldthread, rue anemone, dwarf ginseng, wood anemone (windflower), small flowered crowfoot ( kidney leaved buttercup,), wild strawberry, bluets, tall meadow rue and probably some I can’t remember just now except for a a sweet little fairy house at the base of a tree. Pardon the lack of appropriate capitalization – I’m so beat it just seemed like too much of a of a typing chore. Phew! Here’s a rousing toast to the glories of Spring and the joy of just being alive. Love you, Penny