Spring Ephemerals at Rockefeller State Park Preserve

Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) blooming on the 13 Bridges trail at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Canon 7D, Canon 180mm f/3.5L Macro, ISO 100, f/18, 0.4 sec. 

I still have some more Tucson images to post, but I wanted to take a break and post some images of spring around my new home. I spent the last few weeks looking for good wildflower spots and also prepping for a big breeding bird project I'm initiating with Rockefeller State Park Preserve. By all accounts from the locals, spring has been late this year. Of course, coming from Virginia, it all seems very late to me.

Initially I had some trouble finding good spots for wildflowers, and I despaired of finding any, but it turns out that several areas of the Rockefeller Preserve have concentrations of my spring ephemeral favorites, and new ones like the red trillium (Stinking Benjamin) pictured below. I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time this spring on the Preserve studying breeding populations of Wood Thrushes and Worm-eating Warblers and getting to know the property inside and out.

I hope you've had the chance to get out and enjoy the spring ephemeral wildflowers before they disappear for another year!

Red trillium (Trillium erectum) on Lucy's Loop trail in Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Canon 7D, Canon 180mm f/3.5L lens, ISO 100, f/16, 0.3 sec.

Red trillium (Trillium erectum) and skunk cabbage leaves (Symplocarpus foetidus) on Lucy's Loop trail in Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Canon 7D, Canon 180mm f/3.5L lens, ISO 100, f/16, 1/4 sec.

Red trillium (Trillium erectum) on Lucy's Loop trail in Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Canon 7D, Canon 180mm f/3.5L lens, ISO 100, f/16, 1/6 sec.

Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) blooming on the 13 Bridges trail at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Canon 7D, Canon 180mm f/3.5L lens, ISO 100, f/18, 1/8 sec.