Spring Highlights

Plants & Landscape

Animals

• Pale green leaves emerging on vines (greenbrier), trees and shrubs
• Long clusters of tiny white flowers: black cherry (late spring)
• A pink or coral tinge to some oak leaves as they are just emerging
• Huge leaf buds of sweet gum
• An occasional white bouquet of flowering dogwood blooms
• Pairs of reddish winged seeds from red maple, twirling as they fall
• A thin layer of yellow pine pollen over everything during April
• Often loads of non-native invasive plants: Green knee-high garlic mustard*, vining lavender Chinese wisteria*, and non-native viburnum shrubs flowering white
• Silky nests of eastern tent catepillars (often in cherry trees)
• Birds arguing over territory, building and sitting on nests; some young being hatched
• A flock of crows ranting at barred owl or red-tailed hawk—potential predators of nest young

Summer Highlights

Plants & Landscape

Animals

• Long clusters of tiny black berries on trees: black cherry
• Three-parted leaves of poison ivy growing as knee-high stems or climbing up trees, some forming green berries
• Young birds emerging from nests (early summer)

Autumn Highlights

Plants & Landscape

Animals

• Acorns and fallen oak leaves of various fascinating shapes and sizes
• Yellowing three-parted leaves of poison ivy falling to the ground in parts
• Birds eating pales berries of poison ivy or deep blue berries of greenbrier vines

Winter Highlights

Plants & Landscape

Animals

• Lingering clusters of deep blue berries on greenbrier vines
• Evergreen needle bundles of loblolly or Virginia pine
• Sharp-edged leaves of evergreen American holly, contrasted with female trees’ red berries—winter food for hungry birds
• Onion-shaped winter buds of the occasional flowering dogwood
• Thick hairy roots of poison ivy clinging to tree trunks