Spring beginning

At 5 this evening I went to the NE Gate to see what news there was from the Tree Loop. Warm beautiful Friday afternoon.. low 70's F. Last week the 3 Pyrus Bradford Pear and the small rough-leaved Cornus dogwood were the only species showing early green leaves, or doing anything, besides the Ulmus elm flowers that had been open for three weeks.
Now the Cercis redbuds most all had mauve flower petals showing out of their buds, not open. Acer negundo box elder mostly had tiny green leaves emerging. The Prunus mexicanus plum had swollen flowers with white petals closed but clearly emerged from the bud. The Robinia locust north of the East pond had small tight balls of green showing all along the thorny stems. Most trees still showed no development, oaks, pecans, walnut, cottonwood, mulberry, soapberry, hickory, chittamwood, hackberry, green ash, persimmon, common pear, coffee tree - nothing, still dormant.

Around the Woods the green on the forest floor is developing. Spring onions are more abundant and it is clear the deer are enjoying them. The ground-hugging Geum avens and small early leaves of Viola are more evident.

At the NW Pond a pair of pileated woodpeckers noisily drilled away on some of the dead green ash around the pond. The pond depth was 2.4 feet with water or boggy conditions up to the highest stepping stone. At the East Pond the depth was 2.06 feet. The West Trail was boggy along a quarter of its length. Two white-tailed deer browsed along the south facing slope east of the East Pond. Lots more squirrel activity than usual. I saw a half dozen running around different parts of the Woods.