As usual at this time of year, wildflowers and birds are the
big news. April can be considered the real kickoff for the spring ephemerals
in the mountains. Some of the species that you can expect to
find beginning this month are: Bellwort, Bluets, Buttercups,
Columbine, Dutchman’s
Breeches, Fire Pink, Fleabane, Wild Ginger, Dwarf Ginseng,
Golden Alexanders, Green and
Gold, Ground Ivy, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Jack-in-the-pulpit,
Larkspur, Rose Mandarin, May Apple,
Phloxes of many varieties,
Shooting Stars, Showy Orchis, Solomon's Seal, and Stonecrop.
Serviceberry and Redbud trees are beginning to bloom as well.
This list is by no means all encompassing; what you see depends
on where you are looking. Differing elevations effect not only
what species you find but when you find them. One of the great
things about this region is the ability to extend the wildflower
season. Early in the year the Asheville area has blooms while
the higher elevations are still frozen. By early summer you’ll
find species at higher elevations that have long since disappeared
down low! In my opinion this is one of the real "perks"
of living where we do.
April also excites me because the first week usually sees
the arrival of the first Rubythroated
Hummingbirds! Males arrive first. These little guys are
fiercely territorial and will fight anything that moves! One
of our feeders is just outside our screened-in porch, and I’ve
seen the dominant male literally knock juveniles off of the screen.
If you want to have more than one feeder be sure to place them
out of sight of each other. This will allow them to actually
eat instead of fighting. A good food for them is 1 part sugar
to 4 parts water, boiled for about 4-5 minutes. Don’t add
food coloring but you may want to tie a red streamer to the feeder
to attract them. Just as an interesting note, the throat (gorget)
on this bird has no pigmentation. The color is created by the
wavelength at which light is reflected from the feathers. Notice
how from certain angles the throat appears to be just a dark
patch. Only the males have this distinctive feature which is
probably used to attract a mate.
The spring migration will be in full swing this month which
means there will be tons of warblers moving through the area
and confusing me.
If you like to look up at the night time sky, April is a busy
month with some nice planetary viewing. All five of the planets
visible to the naked eye are evident this month, and will be
in alignment from April 22 until May 13. Unfortunately, we won't
be able to see all five at the same time since Mercury will have
set by the time the others have risen above the horizon.
Mercury will be very bright, but will set approximately one
hour after sunset. Look just above the West-Northwest horizon
for an object nearly as bright as Sirius.
Venus should also be quite bright, and should also set early
in the evening. On April 14, look for Venus just to the right
of a very thin sliver of Moon.
Mars will be visible in the east, moving through Taurus and
setting between 2 ½ - 3 hours after sunset. Look for a
slender crescent moon just a few degrees below and to the left
of Mars on April 15.
Jupiter will be shining brightly in Gemini on April 18, just
below and left of the crescent Moon, and will be high in the
Southwest all month.
Look for Saturn high in the Southwest sky at nightfall. It
will set 4 ½ hours after sunset at the beginning of the
month and less than 2 hours after sunset by the end of the month.
On April 16 it will be below and to the right of the crescent
Moon.
The Moon will be full on April 26 at 11:00 p.m.
With a little luck there will be a comet visible above the
north-northwest horizon from around April 15 until the end of
the month. Comet Ikeya-Zhang was last seen in 1661, and if
visible will be just above the horizon all night long beginning
about an hour after sunset.
Daylight Savings Time begins on April 7.
