YOUR MONTHLY FIELD GUIDE
April
A Forest in Bloom
Southern Blue Ridge • Western North Carolina
Before the trees fully leaf out, sunlight reaches the forest floor and woodland wildflowers take advantage of the brief opening. Trilliums, violets, spring beauties, and other blooms appear as the mountains quickly turn green around them.
Meet This Month's Species
Pawpaw
Asimina triloba
A small understory tree whose unusual deep maroon flowers open on bare branches before its large leaves fully expand.
Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Spring brings new activity around red fox dens as young kits begin venturing outside to explore and play near their shelter.
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A familiar understory tree whose showy white bracts surround clusters of tiny flowers visited by small spring pollinators.
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
A ground-dwelling woodland warbler whose loud teacher-teacher-teacher song carries through leafing forests in spring.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
A tiny long-distance migrant that returns to the Southern Blue Ridge in spring as flowers open and nesting begins.
Morel Mushroom
Morchella spp.
Distinctive honeycombed mushrooms that appear on the forest floor as spring soils warm, often for only a short seasonal window.
April Small Wonders
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
As dogwoods bloom in April, small bees, flies, and beetles visit the tiny flowers at their centers. The familiar white “petals” are actually bracts—modified leaves that help draw attention to the flowers.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Spider Silk
Archilochus colubris
As nest building gets underway, hummingbirds and other small songbirds gather strands of spider silk to bind their nests together, creating flexible walls that can stretch as their young grow.