Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary

Butterflies at Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary, July 4, 2024

It’s butterfly season on the east coast. The weather was somewhat cloudy this morning, but I was able to spot a few butterflies today; Great Spangled Fritillary and an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. The native rhododendrons are blooming now and the meadows are full of wildflowers. It appears much of the common milkweed has bloomed and the pollinators are out and about. The wood thrushes are singing in the forest and I was able to make auditory id’s of the following: Veery, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Carolina Chickadee, Red-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Gray Catbird, Blue Jay and Carolina Wren.

May 4, 2024, Wildflower Report, Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary, Northeastern Pennsylvania

Today I signed up for a guided wildflower walk at Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary. Learning something from an actual human instead of an app on my phone was so refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, most of what I’ve learned about the Pennsylvania flora and fauna has been through apps like iNaturalist, Merlin, Seek, and eBird. But sometimes it’s just really nice to be around other like-minded people.

Zane Miller, the Preserve Manager at Mariton, facilitated the walk. He was so inspiring and passionate about nature and sharing his knowledge. Within the first quarter of a mile, he pointed out many plants and tiny flowers that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. We spent an enjoyable morning walking, uncovering tiny hidden flowers and identifying others more obvious and showy. I learned so much.

The more I learn, the more I connect with the East Coast natural land; Mariton in particular. It’s a beautiful thing. I could get super sappy here, but I’ll save it for another time and leave you with my Wildflower Report, photos and some things I learned from this morning’s walk on the trail:

Phlox is just starting to bloom. Not to be confused with the non-native Dames Rocket; Also pretty, just not native.

Mayapple has just begun flowering. Look for stems with 2 leaves. Single leaf doesn't produce a flower.

One-flower Broomrape - super tiny parasitic plant. Related to ghost pipes. Did I mention how much I love ghost pipes? This one is a first for me and it’s a favorite!

Wild Ginger - the flowers can be found in the leaf litter under the leaves. I just saw this for the first time today and would not have even known it was there if it hadn’t been pointed out.

Showy orchis - this is an orchid. People try to take them. But just don't. They are delicate and will not survive the transplant.

Blackhaw is in full bloom and starting to leaf out.

Wild Sarsaparilla - to see their flower which looks like a fluffy puff ball, take a peek under the leaves and you’ll find them.

Solomon's Seal - another one you have to stand in your head to find the flowers.

Tulip Tree - Their flowers are blooming and the orange color is other-worldly. It’s just hard to get close since they’re up so high in these towering deciduous giants of the forest.

Wild Geranium is now making its first appearance. I expect to see a lot of these over the summer.

Red Trillium - Which I did not know can also be white (even though it’s called red…hmmm?) :)

Large White Trillium - these are turning a beautiful shade of pink now.

Baneberry or Doll's Eyes - Ever see those weird plants that look like eyeballs staring at you along the trail usually towards the end of summer? Well, they make a fluffy little white flower before they turn into those creepy eyes.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit a plenty! There are many blooms along the trail.

Flowering dogwood - Still plenty of gorgeous flowers on the trees.

Perfoliate Bellwort - In addition to finding these in the forest, the open-cut meadow still holds onto what’s left of the forest’s understory with an impressive patch of these elegant flowers.

And lastly, Common PawPaw, Foamflower, Yellow Wakerobin, Pennywort, and Celandine Poppy.

Other noteworthy mentions are the Eastern Tent Caterpillars. They’re growing larger now, but don’t worry, it’s unlikely that they’ll defoliate your trees. Just leave them be. The birds will use the leftover silk from the tents to make nests.

Spotted the work of a Pileated Woodpecker. There must have been some delicious ants in the tree because it was missing a huge chunk of its bark.

Until next time…

April 27, 2024, Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary Wildflowers

I went back to Mariton early this morning to see what was new in the way of wildflowers. Jack-in-th-Pulpit are all over the trails. I really love this plant. I couldn’t help but photograph almost every one I saw. I was hoping to see more birds today, but not much luck. Of course I was looking down at the flowers most of my walk so I’m sure I missed quite a few. Lots of Trillium starting to bloom along the trail. There’s a nice patch of Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) in the first quarter mile of the main trail. I spent a good portion of the morning and early after noon wandering the steep hillside, listening to the birds and searching for flowers. I’ll be back next weekend to see what’s new.

April 20, 2024, Welcome Back Ephemerals! Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary

Well here we are again. Finally! Another east coast spring. This side of the country sure makes you wait for it. But I think we are finally starting to warm up and the flowers are starting to pop out. The spring ephemerals won’t be here long, so enjoy them while you can. Dogwoods are in full bloom and violets cover the forest floor. Mayapple is up but not quite ready for blooms. More to come… Enjoy the start of the show. Spring is finally here!

March 30, 2024, Saturday morning at Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary

Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary is a part of Natural Lands, a non-profit organization that saves open spaces from development and encourages connection to nature and the outdoors. Mariton has become one of my regular places to visit whenever I need some alone time. Because it sits on the top of a steep slope called Bougher Hill, there are enough trails to get in a decent workout.

This small pocket of space is quiet with many birds and a decent amount of trails to get in a good fitness walk. I started coming here a few years ago acquainting myself with the land and its changes throughout the seasons.

Today the temps were somewhere in the mid-40s. The winds made the dried leaves on the beech trees rattle and shake and the tree trunks creaked as they rubbed against each other. It gave me something nice to listen to and drowned out any car noise I could hear coming from the street below the hillside. A Pileated Woodpecker shuffled around on the ground looking for bugs in the leaves. I kept my distance and watched him until he flew into the trees and hammered at the bark. I found an old tree stump to sit on and watched four turkey vultures soaring through the sky enjoying the breezy day. The longer I sat, the more I began to notice. About arm's length away I noticed a tiny Bloodroot flower, one of the first signs of spring, poking up from the leaf debris. Sometimes being in the woods in Pennsylvania reminds me of being a little kid outside playing. It usually takes me about an hour to wind down when I first get on the trail, but when I do, I always come back home relaxed, happy, and reset.