Local nature preserves are emerging from winter bursting with color and vibrant early spring growth.  Among the ones you will not want to miss are:

Clark Sanctuary, where, depending on the day and month, you may find flowering spring ephemerals bloodroot and trout lily, a stunning display of golden ragwort (helping to keep invasive lesser celandine at bay) as well as, in the wetland, blue-flag iris

Cushman Woods, where a stand of trout lily was recently uncovered when volunteers removed English ivy to establish a new trail from the parking area

Fox Hollow Preserve for its irresistible steep slopes carpeted in Canada mayflower

Hope Goddard Iselin Preserve whose pine forest floor will be punctuated with pink ladies’ slippers in flower about mid-May and where you can spot expanding patches of mayapple, with its attractive solitary white flower, in the field before this year’s growth of vegetation comes in after an early spring mow

Shore Road Sanctuary, where stunning yellow prickly pear cactus flowers brighten our cactus “nursery”

Shu Swamp, where cheerful, yellow-flowered marsh marigold (with which highly invasive lesser celandine is often confused) perches alongside skunk cabbage as cinnamon fern fiddleheads unfurl.