Amateur Naturalist: Arrival Of Spring Along Ranch School Trail

A whiptail lizard warming itself in the sunshine. Photo by Robert Dryja
 

By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

The winter snows in Acid Canyon have largely melted away by mid-March. Only a few patches of ice remain the bottom of the canyon in its narrowest section and where it remains shaded throughout the day.  he Ranch School trail going down Acid Canyon similarly is largely free of snow.  

Mountain lover and Kinnikinnick are evergreen plants growing along the trail and no longer have snow around them. Their leaves are as green as at the start of winter. However the grass that had been green previously in the snow of early winter now is brown. Indeed all the grass growing along the trail is brown and withered.  

The continuing cold temperature of winter has penetrated down into the soil to the roots of the grasses, stopping their growth. The disappearance of snow also means that moisture is not available to percolate into the ground to the grass roots to start their regrowth.  The roots of grasses now are dormant while the blades above ground have died.

The Gambel oak trees growing at the junction of Acid Canyon with Pueblo Canyon still are dormant. However, four signs of spring are appearing.  A willow tree had completely shed its leaves at the start of winter.

 It was a tangle of bare branches and as such was not easily identifiable.  

A female willow tree has catkins with distinctive seeds awaiting pollination. Courtesy photo

Now, it is covered with distinctive blossoms called catkins. The catkins are cylindrical in shape and covered with a multitude of yellow filaments that make them appear fuzzy.  
The tips of the filaments are covered with pollen. These show that this is a male tree. The catkins of a female willow in contrast become covered with seeds awaiting pollination from male trees.     

A male willow tree in bloom with its fuzzy catkin flowers. Photo by Robert Dryja
 

The catkin blossoms of the male willow tree provide the setting for the second sign of spring: insect life. A gentle hum fills the air as a variety of insects fly from blossom to blossom in search of nectar.  

Bees on willow catkin blossom. Photo by Rodinne Urban

Honey bees stand out due to their size and louder hum. Will they carry pollen to a female willow growing elsewhere along the canyon? Where is the nest for these honey bees?

A Mourning Cloak butterfly shows the white line and blue spots of its inner wings. Photo by Robert Dryja

Three species of butterflies are flying today where Acid canyon merges with Pueblo Canyon. A Mourning cloak butterfly is larger than the other two species and is not shy. It flies close to the ground and remains on a twig when approached. It partially opens its wings while resting and the distinctive color pattern of its inner wings becomes apparent. Blue dots are adjacent to a white line along the perimeter of the wings.

The other two species of butterflies are not so easy to approach or to see.  One butterfly is smaller than the Mourning cloak and has an overall yellow color. It flies higher in the sky and remains at distance while being followed. Perhaps it is a sulfur butterfly. The second butterfly almost disappears while resting on the ground. It’s wings are a dark brown when closed. It resembles a bit of dried leaf or small stick if noticed at all.

It becomes much more colorful when it flies away. Flashes of orange and yellow appear momentarily when its wings are opened. Perhaps it is a painted lady butterfly. A third sign of spring involves water. One small stream is located where Acid Canyon is about to merge with Pueblo Canyon.  

Algae floating in its bubbles of oxygen. Photo by Robert Dryja
 

A second stream is a located a short distance up Pueblo Canyon. The sun can shine directly on small ponds along this second stream. Bright green algae are growing in these ponds. Life is good just now for the algae. The algae are producing bubbles of oxygen that lifts it to the surface in stringy mats. The sunlight is even brighter at the surface and so the algae can proceed with even more photosynthesis.

The fourth sign of spring is resting peacefully in the sun.  A whiptail lizard is warming itself in the direct sunlight. From time to time it suddenly runs forward and bites something. Some small insect that had come out to warm itself has just become dinner for the lizard.

A blossoming willow tree, flying insects, bubbling algae and a whiptail lizard are the four signs of spring. However, birds are not yet present. Acorn woodpeckers and pygmy nuthatches remained in Acid Canyon for the winter. Acorn woodpeckers were hammering away on the trunks on ponderosa trees in the late fall. Pygmy nuthatches could be heard chirping in the trees throughout the canyon.

The forest now is quiet except when close to the Los Alamos Nature Center. The birds may prefer to remain near the feeders at the Nature Center throughout the day, waiting for spring to advance more toward summer.

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