Spring Means Wildflowers in the Adirondack Park
Monday, May 19th
Author: Michele Drozd
Spring took its sweet time in arriving this year. And although Council staff members happily skied our way through a long cold winter, by April impatience resounded throughout the office. Spring. Was. Late. Here in Elizabethtown the thermometer is no longer a loathsome site. Birds are finally singing, Rocci has been out foraging for ramps, and lunchtime means longer walks. Diane reminded us that unless we headed out into the woods to look for wildflowers now, we would in fact be late.
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The Adirondack Land Trust’s Coon Mountain Preserve is the destination when it comes to Spring wildflowers. Botanist Jerry Jenkins describes this area as “more diverse and richer in rare and uncommon species than any other community in the Adirondack Park.” With the destination easily decided, we packed our cameras and wildflower guide books for last Wednesday’s search for treasure. |
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As the novice in the group, I was particularly excited to see so many blooms right from the start. Once we gained a bit of elevation, my companions began identifying an abundant mix of plants among the forest’s green carpet. Trillium, Hepatica, Spring Beauty, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Wild Ginger, Dutchman’s Breeches, Wild Oats, and Trout Lilly all revealed themselves along the way. Truly, the more you look the more you find and we didn’t have to look that hard. We were a bit late for certain blooms, but the garden of flowers we experienced more than made up for our, and spring’s, tardiness. Enjoy the photos below!
Blue Cohosh |
Hepatica leaves |
Purple Trillium |
Spring Beauty |
 Saxifrage |
Red Elderberry |
Trout Lily |
Viburnum |
White Trillium |
Wild ginger |
 Staff enjoying the remarkable view. |
Jack-in-the-Pulpit |
Miterwort |
 Wild Oats (Uvularia sessilifolia) |
More Information:
Coon Mountain Official Brochure
List of Plants on Coon Mountain
Michele Drozd joined our staff in 2013 as the Council's Membership/Communications Assistant.
Michele assists the fund development and communications teams in daily operations, member support, and media outreach.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Michele graduated from Alfred University with a degree in Fine Art/Ceramics and spent the last 10 years living and working in the southern Adirondacks as a professional artist, innkeeper, and world traveler. During this time, she studied graphic design and marketing, while starting and operating three businesses in the Sacandaga Lake Region. In Northville, she worked to promote sustainable tourism and the arts, and was a founding member of the region’s business association.
Michele now lives with her husband, Michael, in an old farm house in Elizabethtown. When not working to restore the farm, they are out exploring together: hiking, biking, and skiing the Adirondacks, or in some remote location around the world.
