By Laura & Hal Mahan<\/p>\n
March sets the stage, tempting us to believe that spring has begun. But it is April that gives spring full expression here in the mountains.<\/p>\n
Early wildflowers take advantage of the full sunlight penetrating to the forest floor before the canopy trees leaf out. In late March, bloodroot leaves can be seen in the woods, and the tiny-flowered bluets (shown here) already may be blooming in open areas.<\/p>\n
In April though, wildflowers begin to get serious, poking through the soil with more energy than any of their seeds could have imagined possible. Trillium, Solomon\u2019s seal, violets, and many others initiate the real <\/i>spring.<\/p>\n
Overhead, the songbirds return to the mountains. The Blue-headed Vireo is one of the earliest migrants to arrive, making the trip north from its wintering grounds along the southeast coast all the way to Central America. Later, the warblers and thrushes arrive, many having traveled nearly 2,000 miles in one month from their tropical winter homes.<\/p>\n
The woodlands surrounding the Blue Ridge Parkway resound with bird songs. \u201cTrees, trees, whispering trees,\u201d utters the Black-throated Green Warbler. \u201cTeacher, teacher, teacher!\u201d sounds the Ovenbird, with each \u201cword\u201d louder than the last.<\/p>\n
Even the spring warblers that are \u201cjust passing through\u201d are churning with increasing amounts of hormones bubbling through their bodies, resulting in an exuberance of song. Although they will not mate until they reach the northern U.S. or Canada, their songs indicate a readiness they have not experienced for nearly a year.<\/p>\n
Spring\u2019s arrival is heralded everywhere. In woodland ponds, salamanders bred several weeks ago and now their tadpoles are everywhere. In the deep woods, adult mourning cloak butterflies are emerging from hibernation. Even on higher altitude \u201cbalds\u201d in the mountains, plants are beginning to green up.<\/p>\n
In the celestial skies, the shifting position of our planet in its springtime orbit gives us new images on a dark Western North Carolina night. The Little Dipper, with Polaris at the tip of its handle, is now high in the east, and Gemini has shifted slightly westward. Increasingly entering the spring sky is the longest<\/i> constellation, Hydra the Water Serpent. To see it, look to the south on April 16 at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n
Ah, spring. Hold summer back as long as you can.<\/p>\n
Our Favorite Things:<\/p>\n
Birding by Ear<\/i>, Peterson Field Guide Series<\/p>\n
Wildflowers of the Smokies<\/i>, by Peter White and Tim Condon<\/p>\n
Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers: When and Where to Find Them<\/i>, by Campbell, Sharp, Hutson, and Hutson<\/p>\n