While on your springtime hikes, especially along roadsides, public trails, and other well-worn areas that Mother Nature is always trying to reclaim, you might catch a glimpse of a diminutive blue flower that can easily escape detection, especially later in the spring when the grasses grow. This beautiful sprite is birdseye speedwell. Many people might need to put on their reading glasses to really appreciate the flower – at most, they are only a quarter of an inch wide. Under close inspection you will notice the subtle light blue petals are streaked with purple. There are four petals in total – 3 larger ones up top and the fourth, smaller lobe on the bottom. The plants from which they rise can be 4” to 12” in length, though not even close to that in height as they grow off runners close to the ground and can create small mat-like colonies. Many gardeners look at speedwell as a weed for that reason, as it will create patches of added green in otherwise manicured grass. But, they...

  After the winter we had, it’s incredibly enjoyable to once again hear birds singing. Our avian friends that we too often take for granted – like robins and cardinals – are providing us a chorus of beauty and cheer.   Western New Yorkers’ ears have also been blessed by another melody, but from an entirely different creature – a diminutive amphibian. That would be the spring peeper. Late-March to late-April marks the breeding season for peepers in the northern portion of Western New York. The southern half, especially closer to the Pennsylvania border, might have peepers breeding into mid-May due to the cooler temperatures associated with the higher elevations and the deep valleys. While this breeding season is underway, peepers court one another with, well, peeps. If you live near a pond, marsh, or slow moving stream, head outdoors a few hours before sunset and for forty minutes after. That birdlike “pee-eeep”, a half-second long in duration, is a sound comes from these mal...

  In the Twin Tiers (Western New York’s Southern Tier and Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier), springtime has its own flavor. Wild leeks, which are related to onions, are vernal culinary delights that many people will cook in soups with ham and/or potatoes. You’ll also find them used by small grocers and delis to lend some pungent power to sausages and dips. Some small towns will have cooking contests and community fundraisers centered around leeks. Despite its abundance on the menu in those lands, it’s not the most abundant plant in the wild. Those who provide leeks to the grocery stores and church events on an annual basis understand that, and they know how to manage a sustainable crop that yields from the forest floor every year. But, for those who are new to the harvesting experience, it’s very easy to go overboard picking the greens and bulbs, thus wiping out entire colonies. That’s why I often encourage people to instead pick a related plant that is quite the opposite when it com...