Nature Blog

The photos below show diversity and beauty you can see along the Kirkland Trail now. Trail edges are dominated by flowers of the first five plants in the first row (knapweed is a nasty invasive); the last three flowers in that row are garden plants added to the trail where removal of Japanese knotweed is continuing. Yellow warbler, common yellowthroat, song sparrow, goldfinch, indigo bunting, cardinal, robin, and catbird continue to sing along much of the trail, though they’re seen less often at this stage of summer. Even though the water is low and algal filled, the pond remains a hot spot for activity, with frequent appearances of great blue heron, green heron, killdeer, spotted sandpipers, geese, and mallards. Several butterflies flit along open trail edges. Numerous other plants are in flower, too; look for both kinds of jewelweed and three varieties of beebalm (Monarda), red, wine, and pink. But the summer is passing; goldenrod has begun to flower, boxelder seeds are maturing, and honeysuckle is in fruit.

Each month is different, but there’s always much to see along the Kirkland trail! I took all the photos below on June 29-30. You’ll see flowers in open areas – along trail edges and in fields. Daisy fleabane, field mustard, and wild parsnip are currently the most abundant, but beware the last one because its sap causes a rash. Shrubs currently in flower – dogwood and elderberry – are white, while honeysuckle and raspberries have started producing colorful fruit.

Listen and you’ll hear an appealing soundtrack along the trail, with warblers, catbirds, song sparrows, and red- winged blackbirds being the most vocal. I found 30 species of birds these last 2 days, including green herons and a kingfisher at the pond. Volunteers have worked to control the Japanese knotweed near the beginning, and the town has mowed the trail edges, so you can enjoy a July 4th walk on our local trail.

May brings late spring wildflowers; replacing trillium and trout lily, we find dame’s rocket, golden Alexanders, and honeysuckle bringing color to the trail edges. (Side note: Dame’s rocket resembles phlox, but dame’s rocket, a mustard relative, has four petals while phlox has five petals; count the petals!) Many new plants are in flower along the trail, only a few of which are shown below. White patches of chervil are dense in places. May is also a month of abundant bird song and color; just sit on one of the trail benches and listen. Japanese knotweed has begun to grow rapidly and is being fought by a gallant crew of trail volunteers (you’ll see tarps near the trail head). Other than the scarlet tanager photographed on May 8, all the photos below are from the past two weeks.

Spring has brought the emergence of plants and the return of migrant birds to the Kirkland Trail. Here’s an update, with all comments and photos and from Sunday, May 1 (yesterday) along the trail from Dugway Rd to Deansboro.

Both red and white trillium are flowering in abundance, with more red trillium than in previous years. As water has receded from low areas, march marigold has begun to flower, and also in flower are blue cohosh, blue violet, and wild ginger. The last hepatica and skunk cabbage flowers are still visible, but they are declining quickly. By the number of species in flower, this spring appears to be a little delayed compared to spring a year ago.

Migrant birds are back, and bird song is continuous during morning hours. Red-winged blackbirds are back in large numbers as expected. A wave of ruby-crowned kinglets was passing through yesterday, and warblers included yellow, northern waterthrush, and yellow-rumped (aka “butter butts”), with more warblers still to come. Swamp sparrows were singing in marsh areas. Other species conspicuous along the trail included cardinals, song sparrows,
white-throated sparrows, red-bellied woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, doves, robins, jays, and tree swallows.

The pond by the bench at marker 10 is high – beavers have reinforced the dam by the outflow – so the central pond islands remain submerged. A green heron flew overhead while I was there. An early-spring large pond on the left (east) side has mostly drained, so most of the trail looks the way it did last year. The problemsome knotweed at the beginning of the trail has yet to appear. As I wrote last year, emerging leaves add a lace-like green to the spring forest, making this prime time for a trail walk in the woods with much to see and enjoy.

With fall well underway, here’s the last (!) nature update for 2021. All photos below are from this morning, Sep 8, 2021.

Migration has begun, but many young birds can be seen, along with a few butterflies. A great blue heron and kingfisher were at the pond (always a hot spot), and so too was a baby beaver! The second and third rows show plants currently in flower along the trail, including typical late season asters and goldenrods and (boo, hiss) invasive Japanese knotweed and spotted knapweed. The 4th row shows end-of-season fruits. The trail will remain a very nice place to walk for another 2 months, so here’s a challenge for you: if you go soon, how many of these flowers and fruits can you see?

Late season changes have arrived with the month of August. Bird song has diminished significantly, but birds are still abundant, many young being present. The plants in flower are those with extended flowering periods, a number of which have been featured in previous updates. The photos below are all since the last KT nature update (July 19); the first row shows birds from around the pond, always a hot spot for observations.

The photos below are mostly from today, July 19, with a few from the past two weeks; they show what to look for along the trail. Thirty species of birds were singing this morning, with song sparrows, indigo buntings, common yellowthroats, and catbirds being quite common. A spotted sandpiper, belted kingfisher, and juvenile wood duck were active on the pond. A week ago, a baby killdeer and protective parent greeted walkers to the trail.

Flowers open now include soapwort, Queen Anne’s lace, woolly mullein, bindweed, beebalm, pokeweed, tick trefoil, and yellow and white sweet-clovers. Spotted knapweed has started to flower – very pretty but a noxious invasive. The summer is passing quickly as it always does, and honeysuckle, chokecherry, and red baneberry have all started producing brightly colored fruit. Tussock moth caterpillars are hanging on silk threads from overhead branches.

An information kiosk is a new addition to the trailhead! It has an excellent map and trail rules, and in the future we may add a list current nature sightings to keep trail walkers informed of what to look for. You may see orange topped stakes along the trail edge; these stakes mark distances from Dugway Rd, with the number on each telling you how many hundred yards you have come (e.g., stake 10 is at the pond, which is 1000 yards from Dugway).

This update shows what is in flower now – all flower photos are from 1 Jun – with bird and butterfly observations from the past two weeks. As always, you can see much along the Kirkland Trails! Dame’s rocket and chervil are the most abundant flowering plants, but look for the white flowering shrubs: red-osier dogwood, nannyberry, and mapleleaved viburnum. Several butterfly species can be found flying in sun-lit open areas. Tree swallows are nesting in one of the field boxes north of Dugway; I was repeatedly dive-bombed by the parents on Jun 1. Hooded warbler was a nice sighting yesterday. Two green herons are regulars at pond 10, and a wood duck was on pond 17. Watch out for baby chipmunks along the trail!