Quick check on Spring

10 AM morning visit to the Woods through the SW Gate. This past fortnight we've had abruptly some of the coldest weather of the winter (hi teens, low twenties) then some warming and a few inches of good snow (equal to 0.25 inch water) followed by rapid warming and a 0.1 inch rain. The combination of cold, to prime development, and warmth and water may start spring moving faster.
In the northern third of the Ragweed Delta, bittercress Cardamine was beginning to show its first clusters of small white flowers. The new leaves are edible in spring and I enjoyed a small green snack. On the south end of the Dune Trail, I encountered 3 whitetail - 2 yearlings and one older(?) .. they ran east along the south Boundary and then north on the white trail.
The ponds were full and stable.. East @ 2.75 feet; West @ 2.17 feet. There was water flowing at the Elm Bridge. I should set up a depth gauge above the Elm Bridge along the fence across the stream.
I measured the SW section trails: the Two Friends to Leaning Elm trail (2 posts plus ~ 120 feet to the Elm); and the W Dune trail two posts and a 100 feet to the S Boundary Trail.} One post for the 2 Friends - S Boundary Cutoff. Yellow flags currently mark all measured locations for posts.
I returned to the SW Gate via a route running along Chautauqua I had not established previously.. too often wet underfoot.. blocked with fallen trees and near significant Poison ivy. All that notwithstanding, I think I will go ahead and establish the route, cut the few fallen logs and trim out the near poison ivy. The route connects the northwest to the southwest in a way that no other trail provides. It will be a good route dry Sunday mornings absent the Chautauqua traffic. Found a broken newish shovel (used spring 2010 for setting the herp traps?).