Redbuds, Chickasaw Plums and Snapping Turtle

Catching up with several spring visits to the Woods over the past 2-3 weeks. Today cool misty, light rain by noon, I entered the Woods via the SW Gate and walked towards the center of the Woods to enjoy the sheltered buffer there from wind and traffic noise. The Woods is developing an early premonition of the green-up coming. Boxelder leaves are beginning to open. Cercis Redbuds have early beautiful flowers as do Prunus mexicanus Chickasaw plums. A few Elaeagnus Russian olive have white and yellow flowers open. The invasives are greening up: Ligustrum privet (nearly full leaf flush), Liriope monkey grass (just beginning to send new dark green leaves up from the soil), Lonicera honeysuckle (never really not green, now producing fresh leaves), Ailanthus tree of heaven (first few leaves just a cm or 2 long). Along the trails there are also herbaceous Geum (green almost all winter), Polygonum (pink ladies thumb), Viola (two violets with purple bloom) and early Galium cleavers.

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been a few days at 80F and many in the 70's. Elms have flushed their flowers and produced their green samara winged seeds.
The two ponds are in good shape, 75+% full, filling with groundwater.

Today there were two groups of deer, three and five deer. All looked young(ish).. just one year old.

Two weeks ago on a sunny warm afternoon I was delighted to see a snapper turtle back in the NW Pond up close by the N shore. In there feeding on Gambusia, mosquito fish?

All the trails I visited were in good shape with mostly small branch ends 1-2 inch DBH blown down by the strong winds of the 3-4 dry spring storms.