The sweet smell and beauty of spring
Jack Hughes
Bluebells spotted in Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver Township.
Jack Hughes
Red trillium spotted off the trail in Ohiopyle State Park.
Jack Hughes
White trillium spotted off the trail in Ohiopyle State Park.
Jack Hughes
Dutchman蘑菇视频 breeches spotted off the trail in Ohiopyle State Park.
Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes
Hepatica spotted off the trail in Ohiopyle State Park.
Winter looks to be finally over. No doubt it will go into the record books as a mild one even though March was a bit chilly. Not a lot of snow this time around and no below zero temperatures recorded. Most winters, we do see at least a few mornings with below zero temperatures; however, one in every ten years, we experience a below zero free winter.
Last week, the mountain area did experience see five inches of snow fall, while the lowlands just had a few snowflakes accumulate on roof tops. The snow was quick to melt, but it set the stage for a rather dramatic change as the melting snow and rapidly rising temperatures brought forth an explosion of spring wildflowers. Our temperature in the mountains last Sunday went from a low of 29 to an afternoon high of 73. If you were to listen carefully, you could actually hear the flowers breaking through the leaf debris and see them burst forth to life in just a few hours time.
Along the trails in Ohiopyle, hillsides covered with brown leaves suddenly were dotted with small lavender spring beauties and white blood root. By late in the afternoon, white and red trillium was beginning to open along with the yellow and white Dutchman蘑菇视频 breeches. The blue hepatica were not as numerous, but they are truly stunning little wildflowers.
This was just the opening act and this week the explosion will continue with my favorite the Virginia bluebells spreading across the hillsides. In addition to the trails in Ohiopyle, Cedar Creek Park in nearby Rostraver Township just off Route 51 offers some of the best bluebells displays along with a host of other wildflowers. We did a bluebell hike and picnic at Cedar Creek and and with the nice weather this past week it was really worth the trip.
Lots of folks had the same idea as Ohiopyle was filled with people out for a walk or a bike ride. It was just like a summer day. What a thrill to have such a magnificent park within a short drive of much of our area蘑菇视频 population. The real joy was seeing all the families on the trails or enjoying the waterfalls. And parents and children enjoying the outdoors and not one cell phone in sight. Hope to see you on the trail. Happy spring.