16Apr2008

I hiked the hill for four hours on 16Apr2008 to collect garbage and find the stone monument that marks the NW corner of the preserve where it approaches the west end of Shoemaker Rd.

Igor and Nanette greeted me while they perched atop the tin roof of the old farmhouse in the parking lot. The white throated sparrows are so plentiful at the farm pond that their dear sweet Canadas were being repeated so often that the individuals' trills often overran each other, ending in an almost constant musical stream. A pair of wild turkeys courted along the footpath.

As I walked up the path, I saw Dutchman's breeches, cutleaf toothwort, yellow trout lily, white trout lily, dandelion, spring beauties, yellow violets, purple violets, rue anemone, tall bellwort, toadshade trillium and serviceberry in bloom. The mayapples are about 4 inches tall, while the bloodroot leaves stand at their vertical posts.