It’s all happening so fast…

Not yet at its full glory, this redbud will be ablaze within days.
Many of the Flowering Dogwoods have blossoms. Will the cool weather forecast for this weekend hold them back?

Last year the dogwood was in bloom too early and a cold snap ruined the fruit crop the following fall. There were very few berries on the trees.

Common Blue Violet.

Another Ground Skink.

This Ground Skink surprised me as I walked up the path near the Lemur House. It stopped and posed for several photos.
This skink (same as above) has its original tail. Long, slender, and wiggly, it might take a predator’s attention away from the skink’s business end, the head and body.

Ground Skinks, like many lizards, have the ability to regrow a tail that was lost due to predation or careless behavior. The tail usually doesn’t grow back as long or attractive as the original, and it is energy expensive, but it may save the lizards life. A predator is often left with the tail while the lizard scurries off to safety. Compare the skink’s tail on the right to this one, seen just a few days earlier.

Things change quickly during spring, so get out and have a look around.

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