Chuck Tague

In the next week look for tiny blue butterflies, huge white lilies and swooping swallows.  Listen for trilling toads and singing towhees.

    The Slippery Elm flowers are in bloom around Pittsburgh.  So are the Red Maples, a few White Ash and the introduced Sweet Cherries.

    April is the time for the first butterflies.  The tiny Spring Azures are flying, as are Cabbage Whites, Eastern Commas and Mourning Cloaks.  Keep an eye out for Compton’s Tortoiseshell.  Look for West Virginia Whites in rich forests that contain toothworts.  The West Virginia White is similar to the familiar Cabbage White but appears grayer and has reduced or no dark markings.  They fly low to the ground in the forest.  Unlike the Cabbage White, an immigrant from Europe, the West Virginia White flies only in the spring.

      When will the first Tiger Swallowtails be spotted?

    Head for Enlow Fork around Earth Day to see Blue-eyed Mary.  Large White Trillium and Trout Lilies should bloom this weekend.  Don’t overlook the violets.  The wildflowers will get better every day.

    Look for Pine Warblers off Knowlton Road in the State Gamelands at Bavington, Washington County.  Search hint: hike the loop around Pitch Pine Tail (an unofficial name.)

    On most mornings look for Sue and Jack Solomon patrolling Frick Park for warblers.  House Wrens and Chimney Swifts return to western Pennsylvania in mid April.  Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers will still be around, as will Fox Sparrows and Winter Wrens (but not for long).

   Look for Ruby-crowned Kinglets everywhere, Rusty Blackbirds in wooded swamps and female redwings inciting chaos in marshes and old fields.  You can also observe cowbirds gurgling, Hermit Thrushes and Brown Creepers in the woods, Louisiana Waterthrushes skulking in ravines and along streams, and Barn Swallows and Rough-winged Swallows over water.  The first Purple Martins are back and Cliff Swallows will return soon.  Curious chickadees are examining possible nest cavities.  Also, look for more and more Eastern Towhees, as well as the first Blue-headed Vireos, Chipping Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, singing Eastern Meadowlarks and Purple Finches breaking open the balls on Sycamore trees.  The vanguard of warblers will be here in the next week or ten days.  Look for Pine, Palm, Prairie, Nashville, Black-and-white and Black-throated Green Warblers.  Black-throated Green Warblers will cavort in the treetops -- Yellow Warblers in the brush. 

    Sora and Virginia Rail will skulk though cattail marshes in the next week or so.

   Toads will trill and peepers peep.  Soft-shelled Turtles and Northern Water Snakes will bask in the warm sun.  I can’t wait.

    Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Wood Ducks and other puddle ducks will pass through.  Some diving ducks remain. 

    Watch for yellowlegs, Common Snipe, Pectoral Sandpipers and possibly Least Sandpipers.  Caspian Terns and Double-crested Cormorants should show up.  Mid April is the best time for Common Loons, especially at Moraine State Park.  Look for Broad-winged Hawks in mid April.  I saw my first on April 14 at the Wildflower Reserve at Raccoon Creek State Park.

    Earth Day, April 22, is a day to be thankful and thoughtful of all that the Earth gives us.

    Start Earth Day early.  The Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks on April 22, between Midnight and dawn.  Expect 10 to 20 meteors per hour.  The thin crescent moon makes star-watching ideal.  You can also expect to see shooting stars on the two days before and after.

    Above all, get out and enjoy the season.  There are only so many springs in a lifetime.  No two are ever the same.