A Rainy Spring Walk at Sunnybrook Park / April 20, 2019

It still looked like very early spring along the banks of the West Don River on this rainy 5 degree morning. The nearby forest was full of water and the only wildflower in view was Coltsfoot waiting for some sun.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

There were also a few patches of Scilla spreading from local gardens. The common name of Scilla is Glory-of-the-snow

Scilla (Scilla forbesii)

Other plants showing leaves:

Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria)
Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)

Winged Euonymus showing the “wings”:

Winged Euonymus (Euonymus alata)

Views of the park:

This morning’s bird list: great blue heron, Canada goose, mallard, ring-billed gull, mourning dove, belted kingfisher, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, northern flicker, eastern phoebe, blue jay, American crow, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, winter wren, American robin, golden-crowned kinglet, ruby-crowned kinglet, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, American goldfinch, dark-eyed junco, field sparrow, song sparrow.  (27 species)

Hairy Woodpecker (female)
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Mourning Dove
Mallard (male)
Mallard (female)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper

This morning’s group:

NATURE POETRY

A flower is looking through the ground, 
Blinking at the April weather; 
Now a child has seen the flower: 
Now they go and play together.      – Harold Monroe (1879–1932)

Miles Hearn

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