May Wildflowers and Warblers

May 30, 2014

In Rangeley this month the spring ephemeral flowers have been blooming! This group of wildflowers grow on the forest floor of Northern Hardwood Forests and have just a short window of time to sprout, bloom, and be pollinated before the forest canopy shades their habitat. They sprint from the time of the last frost to the time when the leaves block their sunlight. The yard of Red Quill Camp was filled with little white wood violets and sprinkled with painted trilliums this May!

The warblers have also returned from Central and South America, singing with the loons in the early morning and evening, and feeding at the birdfeeder in the backyard. I sit on the porch of camp with an evening cup of tea and listen to the sounds of the Red Eyed Vireo performing his monologue as he tries out each branch of a tree to find his niche, asking “Where are you? Here I am!” over and over again. The Black Throated Green Warbler dominates the evening chorus with his song: “trees-trees-trees!” And my favorite—the Wood Thrush— sings his flute-like spiraling song late into the evening after the others have quieted down. It’s a great time to be in the northeast—it’s a time of spring magic when delicate and colorful woods flowers are blooming and choruses of melodic bird songs surround Red Quill Camp.

~Leah