Look up, it’s the Bloomingdale Trail! Once you’re up there, take some time to look around—signs of spring are popping up here and there. Let’s talk about some of the trail’s early bloomers.
While snow still covers the ground, snowdrops (Galanthus) begin to emerge in late January until early March and are the first of the spring ephemerals to bloom. Keep your eyes peeled all along the trail for these delicate white flowers that droop above two to three long narrow leaves.
The fuzzy buds of the Merrill Magnolia (Magnolia x loebneri ‘Merrill’) will soon open as stunning white fragrant star-shaped flowers. This hybrid magnolia is named after the administrator of botanical collections at Harvard University, Dr. Elmer Merrill, who also served as the director of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum in 1935. You can see these on the trail near Julia de Burgos Park, at N. Whipple St.
Other sightings…
The insects may not be buzzing around just yet, but they lay in wait…
This is the egg sac, otherwise known as an oothecae, of the Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis), spotted on the north side of the trail at Monticello Ave. This bad boy will eventually release up to 300 praying mantis babies which are actually native to Asia and nearby islands.
This species was accidentally introduced to the Americas by a nursery tender near Philadelphia in 1896. Now, it is a fully established species that is considered to be invasive. If you ask a mantis enthusiast, they will say these make an excellent pet. Don’t get too attached though, as they only live for less than a year, hatching from their oothecae in spring, live fabulous mantis lives all summer long, affix their egg sacs to plants in the fall and die when the weather gets too cold.
Interesting fact! There are two martial art styles based on the quick movements of the Chinese mantis!
The larvae case of the evergreen bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis), constructed from bits and pieces of trees. Inside is the maggot-like female bagworm.
In early April, the bagworms will begin to hatch from the carcass of their mother and will emerge from the cases, which hang from the branches of trees and shrubs. Using a strand of silk, they will drop down and find a safe place to mature. Females will create a new case and cocoon themselves away while the males transform into moths. Bagworms can be very destructive and are considered pests that can kill trees if left unmanaged.
You can see these clinging onto the bare branches of a Shawnee Brave Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum ‘Michelson’) near the western entrance to the trail at Ridgeway Ave.
