love of the land
get there
photo by Heather Higham
EMPIRE BLUFF TRAIL As our forest floor gradually thaws, it only takes a moment—a kiss of warmth and a few extra rays of sun—for it to bloom into the most sumptuous scavenger hunt. Blink and you’ll miss it. Flecks of purple peek from beneath tattered leaves. Delicate cream-colored petals unfurl from the greenery. Blushing blossoms pop up in clusters. While May is known as prime wildflower season, April has its gifts, too, if you know when and where to look. Some of the first ephemeral flowers to bloom along the forested Empire Bluff Trail are bloodroot, trillium and the whimsical Dutchman’s breeches (pictured here). Below the 45th parallel, these flowers typically pop up starting mid to late April, before the trees don their leaves.-A.J.
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