June is here and I can hardly believe there was a May! Fun
really does fly when you’re doing time.
UNC-Asheville’s Wildflower Pilgrimage was enjoyable as
always. I enjoyed meeting some of you and had a great time doing
the Friday evening program. I really appreciated the warm reception
from everyone and hope you had as much fun as I.
Later in the month I took a group from Florida to Douglas
Falls. The spring flowers were pretty much done, but we found
enough stuff going on to make it interesting. Having a chance
to share this area with someone new is a joy, and having a group
this appreciative only adds to the experience.
Summer is well and truly here, and the change is indicated
by the temperature, humidity, and the flowers that are in bloom.
Some of the ones you should be seeing are: Black Eyed Susan,
Butter and Eggs, Butterfly
Weed, Canada Lily, Chicory, Black Cohosh, Day Flower,
Day Lily, Everlasting
Pea, Field Thistle, Roan Lily, Jacob’s Ladder, Jimson
Weed, Pink Lady Slipper,
Common Milkweed, Poke Milkweed, Oxeye
Daisy, Flowering Raspberry, Catawba
Rhododendron, Multiflora Rose, Michaux’s Saxifrage,
Spotted Wintergreen, Sundrop,
Crown Vetch, and Yarrow.
Another indicator of the season are insects, which are becoming
more and more plentiful. Of course when there are lots of insects
available for the young, many birds go into high reproductive
gear. Bluebirds, Gray Catbirds, and Mockingbirds are ready to
start their second broods. Golden Crowned Kinglets, and Tufted
Titmouse pairs are preparing for their first, and possibly only,
broods. And at higher elevations young Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
will be fledging later in the month.
A very few Monarch Butterflies have been spotted in the area,
some will remain here in a small breeding population but most
are headed further north. If you don’t know, the overwintering
population in Mexico suffered a nearly 70% die off, due to an
unseasonable storm and freeze.
