Day: March 14, 2026

Early spring signs in Upstate NY include the shrill calls of peepers, drumming ruffed grouse, and migrating robins or red-winged blackbirds returning. On the forest floor, skunk cabbage emerges through snow, followed by bloodroot and trailing arbutus, while red maples show red buds. 

Woodland Flora and Fauna

• Skunk Cabbage: One of the first signs in wet woods, producing its own heat to melt surrounding snow.
• Wildflowers: Early bloomers include Bloodroot (white petals) and Coltsfoot (yellow, dandy-lion like, along road ditches). Later, Red Trillium, Trout Lily, and Spring Beauties emerge.
• Amphibians: Spring peepers (tiny frogs) and salamanders move to vernal pools to breed.
• Trees: Red maple branches become visibly reddish due to budding, and willow catkins appear. 

Auditory and Visual Cues 

• Birdsong: Red-winged blackbirds, robins, and bluebirds are seen and heard, and woodpeckers begin drumming.
• Wildlife Activity: Ruffed grouse “drum” by beating their wings to create a vacuum noise.
• Environmental Changes: Streams and ponds thaw, snow melts around tree bases, and the smell of wet earth emerges.