I noticed in a couple of recent posts that folks are noticing some nice butterflies, and wildflowers blooming (two things that are probably related), but I went for a walk in Rock Creek Park on the boundary bridge trail, and saw NO wildflowers only the bright yellow of an invasive--Lesser Celandine.  It's everywhere!  Great sheets of it.  It's be pretty if you didn't know that it's the reason none of the proper wildflowers are blooming there--didn't see even a violet!  The Park thankfully is spraying but it's a huge job.  Anyway,  I wanted to share a little known fact about this plant--it spreads by tiny sticky seeds (as well as by the little bulbs that help it smother everything else).  As birders, we walk in some pristine areas, as well as already invaded ones.  If you can avoid walking in this stuff, or letting your dog do so, great!  If not, some major clean-up is required if we are not to be the one who brought a seed of celandine into a new area, and started the trouble there.  I'm about to go rinse off the bottom of my sneakers, in fact. I didn't go off trail, but it was growing right on the edge of the path, and seeing so much made me a little paranoid about it, right now!

Best bird--heard a barred owl, and saw pretty close a pileated.
Good birding--and 'ware the celandine!

Patricia Wood
Silver Spring

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