A Naturalist in the Throes of Spring
Shared by Kim Bailey, Naturalist
kim.bailey@nashville.gov
Photos and video by Kim Bailey unless otherwise stated
Spring brings on a frenzy of activity in the natural world, so if you are a naturalist, you shift into high gear! Here's a glimpse of some of the natural wonders I saw in the first half of March:
My next stop was Shelby Bottoms at dusk. The wet temporary pools that line the Greenway were bursting with sound. As I crouched beside a chorus frog, I watched in amazement as his body became a bellows, his abdomen contracting rhythmically to push air from his lungs to his throat. Singing was truly a whole-body kind of thing! As I returned to the parking lot, I heard leopard frogs and spring peepers competing for air space in the wetlands nearby. Each species was attuned to their own version of love song, able to distinguish it from all the other sounds filling the night air. It was a magical night.
Not to be outdone, the next night Bells Bend put on quite a show. The setting sun turned the hills across the river a pink and orange hue as a group of us gathered in the growing dusk and waited for the first peent of the American woodcock. Several in the group had never seen or heard a woodcock and were amazed when one flew in, revealing the long bill and chunky body. Then the peents and the twittering and the chirping began and we struggled to see the bird as it spiraled up and glided back down. I used my flashlight to find a male peenting in the middle of the trail and was happy to see his eyeshine glowing in the dark. But then I saw two more pairs of eyeshine coming from the ground – were they glowworms, aka firefly larvae? After the male flew up into the skies, we ran forward and discovered a wolf spider on the ground. One spider was not to be found – perhaps he provided a mid-dance snack for our feathered friend? It was another magical night for a naturalist besotted by spring’s many expressions of love.
Woodcocks begin to dance just after sunset at Bells Bend Park.
The eyeshine of a Wolf Spider caught our attention as we watched a male Woodcock in the path.
Male woodcocks dance in near-darkness, making it challenging to view them.
Photo credit Mary Glynn Williamson
The next morning Warner beckoned me home. Bloodroot, my favorite spring ephemeral, was opening its pure white petals and revealing its buttery stamens.
I found the large green leaves still folded, letting the flower have all the attention. Keeping them company on the Warner Woods trail were Cut-leaf Toothwort, Early Saxifrage and Rue Anemone.
My first sighting of bloodroot was the beginning of many treks in a short amount of time to see it bloom in all its glory. They don’t last long, which as we all know, increases their desirability. My last visit to the bloodroot patch revealed the spring storms had put an end to their moment in the Sun. My attention then turned to the Mossy Ridge Trail as new wildflowers unfurled.
Wood betony is beginning to bloom along Mossy Ridge.
This is just a sampling of my spring sightings thus far. There was also the tom turkey strutting for a female, his bouquet of gorgeous feathers on full display; the bees attempting to nest in the hole in the Library door keyhole; the baby snapping turtle submerged in the muck of the Nature Center pond; the barred owl hunting at dusk at Deep Well and the pinks and blues of Virginia Bluebell delighting the eye in the fern garden by the Library.
Spring is filled with moments of beauty and amazement. It is a time when a naturalist gives up a little sleep to make the most of her day. In the pre-dawn hours, the cardinal outside my window does his best to make sure I don't miss a thing. And if you’re going to get up early, why not have a bird sing you awake?
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Spring is in full bloom. Get outside and experience the magic that awaits in Metro Parks!
Learn more at these links:
- The Elusive Woodcock by Sandy Bivens and Heather Gallagher
- Complete inventory of Warner Parks' Wildflowers
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