Phenology (aka Natural Observations)

Regenerative Subsistence Seasonal & Bioregion Strategies
#1

Use this thread to let the community know about what’s happening in your bioregion.

Are the mayapples ripening? Did the black bears come out of hibernation? Are walnuts covering the ground beneath the trees?

Share what’s going on. Be specific if you can as to the species. Share pictures if possible. If you don’t know what the species is, maybe someone here can help you identify it. Animal, plant, fungus, microbe–let us know. The more information, the merrier.

As this thread fills up with information, we can transfer it to the wiki to fill up our ever-growing Field Guide to Rewilding.

#2

I guess I get to be the first.

Here in South Louisiana, Spring is in full bloom. There is an acre of wild strawberries and black raspberries behind my house. The strawberries are small but abundant, and the raspberries are minimal, but I am looking forward to a nice crop on my return from Oregon in August. Flowers and birdsong is everywhere, and I have had many dandelion snacks and day-lilies salads. Tons of chickweed, pigweed and cattails everywhere. It’s a damn foragers delight here. I have a couple of kumquats on my trees, and my tomatoes are starting to bloom. I see a lot of karo (Sp) lettuce near streets, but I don’t eat that. I am excited to get into the Basin next weekend and see what I can find. Everything is so green and luscious here.

Some dude found a black bear going through his trash yesterday morn, about 2.5 miles from where I am. I spotted a deer on the way to Baton Rouge yesterday, about 30 meters off I-10. The raccoons , squirrels and possums are abundant, I see alot of them in the coulee behind the house.

#3

Thanks for jumping in, Rory!

On my daily mayapple check, I saw some dewberries trailing from the roadside onto the side walk with three little flowers in bloom.

It looks like the cattail shoots are making a comeback from the freeze we had over easter. Fortunately, I got to taste a few before they died back. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to introduce them to my human friends yet. Now it looks like we’ll get the chance.

#4

The corn I planted about 5 weeks ago has just sprouted above the ground:

#5

Cornplanter says “Get lost you palefaces!”

#6

Haha!

Geeze does everyone on this forum have warmer weather than me? I know someone is from massachutsettes! (approximately spelled). No planting here 'til memorial day. As far as what is coming up we’ve got trout lily, spring beauty, and violet in bloom, leek, chickweed, dandelion, mustards… ahh shit, I’m missing Desperate Houswives. See ya in an hour guys.

#7

we had all those around the equinox. but then we got refrozen at easter.

i (gladly) forgot how long the cold lasts up there. i do remember memorial day being the beginning of good going-out weather.

one thing i’m curious to see here is when the raspberries ripen. in NYC, they usually came out around the last sunday in june–which, appropriately enough, is gay pride day. get it? that was a great phenological mnemonic for me.

#8

That reminds me, in field botany some students developed gay themed mnemonics for the scientific names. Beech is Fagus gradifolia in the Fagaceae family and, as one girl put it, fags hang out on the beach. Oaks are of the Quercus genus. and are also in the Fagaceae. Pronounce it Queer-cus and you get the picture…

#9

[quote=“Penny Scout, post:6, topic:174”]Haha!

Geeze does everyone on this forum have warmer weather than me? I know someone is from massachutsettes! (approximately spelled). No planting here 'til memorial day. As far as what is coming up we’ve got trout lily, spring beauty, and violet in bloom, leek, chickweed, dandelion, mustards… ahh shit, I’m missing Desperate Houswives. See ya in an hour guys.[/quote]

Yeah, I just saw the very first violet blooms about 2 days ago… I’ve been making salads from baby dandelion and garlic mustard greens, but the pickins is still slim. We had 2 really warm days this week, though, so everything’s exploding… and a little confused by the wacky weather.

#10

Most of the Dandelions have gone to seed.

#11

Just went to seed in OH about 3 days ago.

#12

The dandelion flowers only came out Sunday here.

#13

They’re just going to seed here now - lots of clocks, but still plenty of flowers too.

#14

We just had a new resurgence of dandelions.

Blackberries and dewberries are in bloom right now.

Sumac are putting out their leaves.

Mayapples are trying to flower, but the flowers look burned up. Has anyone ever seen mayapples go through their full cycle before? I think the leaves die back as the fruit is ripening, so I’m wondering if these burnt-looking flowers are a normal part of the cycle.

Elderberries are starting to put out flower buds.

And in the nearby park, my son Simon and I saw a black snake (pilot, maybe?) coiled up in the branches of a bush. And later we saw a rabbit in the field next to where we saw the snake. It ran off, but I went to where it disappeared into the woods, and I think I see a regular trail there, so it may be a good place for a snare or trap.

Speaking of traps, the neighborhood kids continue to catch minnows with the traps I made for them.

#15

That is great about the minnows! Mayapple…the leaves last awhile as the fruit begins to ripen, perhaps they do die at the tail end but that would be August or Sept. up here. I have had few occasions to eat really ripe mayapple fruit. I have experimented with picking the half ripe ones and letting them ripen at home, but I don’t think it works. They smell good though. I think the other animals get to the ripes ones before I do, or else it falls of the plant and I don’t notice. Not all mayapple plants develop flowers. Usually only if the umbrella has two branches, or rather the plant has two umbrellas. But I’m not sure what you mean by burnt up.

Other things to name a few-
Flowers: got trillium, toothwort, rue anemone, violet, marsh marigold
coming up but not spread open yet: mayapple, bellworts and false solomon’s seal, canada mayflower
Fully up but no flowers open: garlic mustard

To anyone who lives where there are tons of nettles: We don’t have many around here and I drink the infusion by the pound. So if you have a lot and space to dry them and you can beat the price of $9 a pound…

#16
To anyone who lives where there are tons of nettles: We don't have many around here and I drink the infusion by the pound. So if you have a lot and space to dry them and you can beat the price of $9 a pound...

have you tried growing nettles, penny? they like wet soil and a lot of sun, from what i can tell. i plan to try to grow some by my front porch since we get a lot of rain and the drip line of the house keeps the ground really wet.

Not all mayapple plants develop flowers. Usually only if the umbrella has two branches, or rather the plant has two umbrellas. But I'm not sure what you mean by burnt up.

These plants all have two branches, with flower buds in the branch. But the bud looks dried up. I wondered if maybe the sepals die before the flower opens or something. I thought they might look that way because we had a dry spell–though, these stand growing by a creek that has remained wet the whole time, so… I don’t know. This plant mystifies me.

#17

Yeah, I don’t have many around me either :’(

#18

There are tons in these parts, but I suspect the postage might be a bit more than $9 a pound…

I’ve often toyed with the idea of gathering nettles, but since dock leaves were my best friend as a kid I’ve a healthy terror of nettles! It never occurred to me to try making tea out of them, though. I really must give it a go.

#19

Yeah, I make an infusion out of them which is a very strong tea where you steep an ounce of nettle in a quart of water for at least four hours. Then I drink it with ice to tone it down an bit. It is supposed to be really good for the adrenal glands and give you lots of energy and good minerals.

#20

looks like I’m bumping this thread a bit…

First, in late june to early July in Michigan the mulberries, and blackberries were out in force. I think there may have been raspberries too. Also in the northern regions blue berries practically littered the ground.

In Washington here the Dandelions just appeared out of nowhere everywhere. The large black berries (I am not sure what type they are yet… but they are large, look like a mulberry really, grow on thorny vines from ground, and black when ripe, are still green. I believe it will be one more month until I can literally walk around my apartment and collect buckets and buckets of these.