Sibara virginica

Sibara virginica along a roadside near Monroe City in Knox County, March 25, 2011. White clover and Carex is also seen in the picture.

Link to Sibara virginica:

Link to Sibara virginica:

Link to Sibara virginica:

Link to white clover:

Erigenia bulbosa

The harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa) is now blooming in the woods. This picture is in Cumberland Park woods in West Lafayette, yesterday, March 22, 2011. The long lance-shaped leaves in the picture are Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), no flowers yet, that will be blooming later.

Link to previous post on Erigenia bulbosa:

Link to Erigenia bulbosa:

Link to Erigenia bulbosa:

Forsythia

The Forsythia at the pedestrian bridge started blooming today. Yesterday these flower buds weren't open. Picture taken March 21, 2011.

Link to 2010 post on Forsythia:

Coots at Coot Slough

A group of coots (Fulica americana) on the water at Coot Slough, Celery Bog Park.

Picture taken March 19, 2011.

Link to Fulica americana:

Spring peepers

Spring peeper frogs (Pseudacris crucifer) were making noise in this wet area in Celery Bog Park. From the trail, looking west. Recorded March 19, 2011.

Link to Pseudacris crucifer:

Link to Pseudacris crucifer:

The beaver that ate sumac and populus

A beaver-chewed stand of sumac. This is behind the Speedway gas station on the west side near the levee area. In the background is a fallen cottonwood tree that the beaver have eaten the bark off of.



More of the sumac stand chewed on by the beaver.

Pictures taken March 12, 2011.

Link to previous post on beaver food near the Wabash:

Great Horned Owl nest

Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) are nesting in the woods at Celery Bog Park. The nest is in the middle of the picture above, high up in a big beech tree. It's in a conspicuous place, easy to find.



Here is a view of the woods, looking west, near the east entrance. The base of the big beech tree can be seen on the left. In the background is the wooden boardwalk built for the foottrail over the wet land.

Pictures taken March 8, 2011.

Link to Great Horned Owl:

Link to more pictures of this nest:

Bronze fern

A leaf of a bronze fern (Botrychium dissectum obliquum) pokes through the fallen leaves. Still showing some of its bronze winter color. At Celery Bog Park in West Lafayette, in the woods north of the nature center. Picture taken March 8, 2011.

Link to Botrychium dissectum obliquum:

Link to Botrychium dissectum: