Last weekend I walked the Northern Rail Trail between Webster Lake, in Franklin NH, and Highland Lake, in East Andover, NH. It’s about 5-1/2 miles of flat walking on a wide, mainly shaded trail, crossing over Sucker Brook several times. It was a sunny day, in the mid-70s (warmer than it has been), and almost bug-free.
There was a surprising array of spring plants to notice on this section, including some that made only one appearance that I observed (comfrey; celandine; a black mustard — I think — aka Brassica nigra; some sort of Ranunculus, maybe sceleratus aka cursed crowfoot) while others flourished in sections and then were seen no more (coltsfoot), and still others were with us the whole way (Maianthemum racemosum aka false Solomon’s seal and dandelions in droves, Alliaria petiolata aka garlic mustard sparingly).
The invasive but beautiful and heavenly scented autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) at a road-crossing along one bit of the section hosted several Eastern tiger swallowtails. I saw robins, sparrows and juncos, and heard many others. Dodged caterpillars and neon green inch worms that hung low from the trees over the path. Saw so many different kinds of ferns that I almost felt I was trying to read a foreign language as we walked; I knew that each corresponded to a name but that was as far as my fern-ignorance took me.
Hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I did!
entrance at Chance Pond Road, Franklin NH (actually facing east, while I walked west)sign about making the RR on Hogback Hillone of several pink lady’s slippersfalse Solomon’s seal aka Maianthemum racemosum (everywhere)Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)sign for the Andover town linelow-bush blueberrymay be Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) ?garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) flower with visitorgarlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) plantcolony of Equisetum (probably E. arvense, aka horsetail)interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana)coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) with its leaves and a photobombing fernspent bloom of coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in budun ID’d ferncrossing Sucker Brookretaining wall with moss and fernsgreater celandine (Chelidonium majus)pink honeysuckle flowerswhite and yellow honeysuckle flowersprobably black mustard (Brassica Nigra)comfrey (Symphytum) flowersEastern tiger swallowtail on autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) shrub at road crossingAutumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) flowersanother Eastern tiger swallowtail on Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)Ranunculus (probably sceleratus, aka cursed crowfoot or cursed buttercup)maple leaf I likeJack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) with its leavesChristmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)red trillium (Trillium erectum) aka Wake Robin, with spent flowerdock plants (I think it’s Rumex crispus, curly or yellow dock)yellow pond lily (Nuphar Lurtea)marsh
Just beautiful. Thanks for sharing what is right in my own backyard!
I’ve been enjoying the bug-free and low-humidity air this month, too. Beautiful while it lasts! Great nature photos!