Nashville- Sunday March 18

Spring is so advanced here that even the azaleas are blooming, and in Nashville, after the azaleas bloom, irises and roses are not far behind. All day I have gone out onto my porch hoping
to hear the chitter of the barn swallows who nest in the parking sheds. Surfbirds.com reports them in east and south Tennessee, and the Rough-winged and Tree Swallows have been seen here in the city within the past week.

I walked in the increasingly crowded Warner Parks this morning, and saw that most of our Spring Ephemerals- the trilliums,celandine poppies, the dwarf larkspurs- are in bloom. But not for long. When the leaves come, these flowers disappear beneath the ground again to spend the next 10 months asleep in the leaf litter.

And today, I saw four Turkey vultures up close in a half dead tree in the forest. At first I thought this might be a potential nest, but my Sibley bird guide says Turkey Vultures nest on the ground or in hollow stumps. I find it curious that I am seeing so many of this species now, since for years the Black Vulture has been more common, especially out along Highway 100 where it is Deer vs Car every day.

I did pick some Poke weed sprouts today, thinking I would cook and eat them, but as the day wears on, I am not so enthused. When I read about Poke weed in "Wayside Plants" I did not miss the sentence that said parts of the plants are poison. Poison gets my attention every time. Books say the sprouts taste better than asparagus, but I will leave them to folks who can afford a trip to the Emergency Room-

And here are some scenes from a friend's woodland garden.