Birds, Blooms & Butterflies: The Joys of March
- Jason Allen
- Mar 1
- 9 min read
Happy March, everyone! Maybe it's just me but January seemed to last for several months, and February felt like it lasted a week.Â
But I'm okay with that because March is one of my favorite months. Warmer temperatures, longer days, flowers blooming, trees budding out, birds singing happy songs... I also love baseball and March Madness, but that's another story!
What comes to mind when you think of March?
For me, I think of daffodils. I hearken back to my childhood and the daffodils blooming along our driveway at our old homeplace. I loved getting on my knees and smelling the first daffodil flower of the year. It meant warmer days and getting to play outside all day.
I also think of bluebirds inspecting boxes for nesting. Butterflies emerging on sunny days. Chorus frogs and spring peepers calling in the woods. Red-winged blackbirds singing their distinctive songs. Plum and redbud trees blooming.
But let's start with something that's so March that it even has the word "spring" in its name: Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica). I recall seeing these beautiful little wildflowers in our back yard when I was a kid. It was the first wildflower that I learned to identify, and it was usually the first wildflower I found each year.
This year we discovered our first spring beauty flowers in mid-February. March is typically when they peak in Tennessee. Look for them in your lawn or along a favorite woodland trail. They are tiny but showy, and are known for their pink landing pads that attract a variety of pollinating insects. If I were an insect surrounded by wintry grays and browns, I would head straight for those bright pink stripes, too!
In our February newsletter (which you can find on our website), we mentioned that the first wildflower we discovered this year was long-styled glade cress (Leavenworthia stylosa). We found one blooming way back on Jan. 7th. Then the ice storm and cold weather hit and they laid low for a while. But by mid-February they had returned, and now we are seeing more and more blooms. They should peak in early March and are well worth seeking out for their beauty and heavenly, honey-like aroma. Look for them in gravelly cedar glades.
Other blooms to look for in March include woodland species such as toothwort, rue anemone, corydalis, trout lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild blue phlox, and Virginia bluebell. Most of these species can be found in rich woods.Â
In the cedar glades, look for long-styled glade cress's smaller and less showy cousin, small glade cress (Leavenworthia uniflora). Also keep an eye out for early saxifrage, rose verbena, glade phlox, and Eggleston's violet.
Another species occasionally found in or near glade habitat is the rare and state-listed Carolina anemone (Anemone caroliniana). They also bloom in March, and we are fortunate to have some on our property - just a few feet away from our back door.
Around your neighborhood and in your lawns, look for such flowers as dandelion, violet, henbit, dead nettle, bittercress, and chickweed. That is, until you mow. We normally don't mow for the first time until late May so that we (and the pollinators) can enjoy all of the blooms. Yes, our lawn is a bit of a jungle by late May, but we kinda like jungles!
As for the frogs, we mentioned in the last newsletter that a few upland chorus frogs (Pseudacris feriarum) were heard calling on mild days back in early January. In February, they were getting louder and more numerous. We live near several pools of water, and on warm February evenings they were putting on quite the concert. Yay, we like free concerts! Their call is described by some as the sound of someone rubbing their finger across the teeth of a comb. Here are some I heard last February at Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area: Call of the Wild. If you're near water, you should hear them calling in March as well - at night and even during the daytime.
A few other frog species will be vocal in March, including spring peeper and American toad. If you live in the right habitat (near temporary or semi-permanent bodies of water), the tiny spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) can be the dominant frog sound you hear this time of year. Their unmistakable call is a high-pitched "peep, peep, peep."
The larger American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) can be found in a variety of habitats, but they prefer to be near water for breeding purposes and for cover. Their call is an extended trill lasting up to 20 seconds. One spot where I've always heard them regularly is the spillway area at Radnor Lake.
The first butterfly I see at my home each year is usually the falcate orangetip (Anthocharis midea). These little butterflies love open woodlands and glades, and can often be seen flying very low to the ground. The male has a stunning orange on its wing tips, while the female is whitish. The female seeks out plants of the Mustard Family for depositing its eggs, and I often find them visiting glade cress blooms in March.
Also in March, I've seen butterflies such as eastern comma (Polygonia comma) and question mark (Polygonia interrogationis) out and about on warm days. These "anglewing" butterflies are distinguished by markings on the underside of their hindwings: the eastern comma has a silvery, hook-shaped mark that looks like a comma, while the question mark has an extra marking that gives it the appearance of a question mark.
Birds are singing their spring songs in March (many got started in February!), and some are starting to nest. I've already spotted a male eastern bluebird inspecting our front yard nesting box. I've also seen Carolina wrens inspecting possible nesting sites beside our house. Two years ago I found a Carolina wren nest (with eggs) in an old pair of shoes I left out in the barn. Last year I unknowingly left my back door open for a few hours one day, and I came inside to find a half-built wren nest atop a broom in my laundry room! Opportunists, to say the least.
March is also the month that purple martins arrive in Tennessee. They are probably our earliest spring migrant, and they will send out scouts to look for possible nesting sites. And don't forget about hummingbirds. This is a good time to get your feeder out and situated because hummingbirds may arrive by the first of April.
American woodcocks started calling and performing their unique aerial displays in January and February (see our February newsletter for more info), but you can hear and/or see them in March as well. Around our home, I've heard them still calling as late as May.
Trees are interesting to examine in March as some are already flowering and leafing out. Many Tennesseans probably think of redbud blooms when they think of March. Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a small, relatively short-lived tree found throughout Tennessee. They stand out in early spring because of the striking, bright pink flowers that emerge before the leaves appear. The edible flowers can be eaten raw in a salad, or fried. Its flowers are important in the production of honey by bees.
Eastern redbud is recognized by its smooth, heart-shaped leaves. It's typically an understory tree preferring moist, well-drained sites. The fruits are flat, reddish-brown pods which contain bean-like seeds. The fruits often remain on the tree throughout winter, making them a valuable wildlife food. Tea made from the bark is a folk remedy for stomach ache, heartburn and other ailments. The seed oil has a peanut-like flavor and can be used as a seasoning. In other words, it's an all-around wonderful tree for wildlife and humans both.
Other flowering trees in March include our native plum species: American plum, Mexican plum, and Chickasaw plum. We are fortunate to have a Chickasaw plum tree in our yard, and I always enjoy taking in the sweet aroma of its flowers.
March is when many bats emerge, and this time of year you may see them flying at dusk. On a warm day in February, we saw a bat darting back and forth over our road. Also look for them flying above your favorite trail, along forest edges, around street lights, or out over water sources.
If you're interested in bats, you might like our upcoming Wetland Night Life at Murfree Springs program scheduled for April 22nd at 7 p.m. This Earth Day program will focus on the bats, moths, and frogs of Murfree Springs.
Copperhead Consulting’s Steve Samoray will give a short introduction to local bat species, their ecological importance, and common myths and misconceptions, and then we'll head out to the boardwalk to listen for bats using ultrasonic acoustic detectors. We’ll demonstrate how acoustic detectors work and discuss what different call patterns can tell us about bat behavior.
In addition, NEST founder (and my wife) Leslie Anne Allen will use light sources to attract moths and other night insects, and I will help us seek out the frogs and toads of Murfree Spring. You can get more information on the Outdoor Murfreesboro website.
Finally, February was another busy month for us at NEST. Leslie Anne's NEST wildflower ID classes started in early February at Middle Tennessee State University, and she has a super enthusiastic group of wildflower enthusiasts! They are focused on classroom studies for now and will have field tours later this spring. The classes run through April.
Many have asked if there will be another NEST wildflower ID course this year. The answer is... yes! The dates haven't been announced yet, but the classes will likely start in late summer. Check our website (and keep reading our monthly newsletters!) for updates.
Also in February, I was invited to speak to the Master Gardeners of Rutherford County in Murfreesboro. Their group is planning to develop their own arboretum. Since I have experience creating an arboretum (and have also done certification inspections for Tennessee Urban Forestry Council), they were hoping I could share some knowledge.
It was a fun evening, and I was nearly overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and large crowd. What a wonderful master gardeners group they have put together. After the cold and ice of January, honestly it was just nice to get out of the house! But it was a bonus to meet so many wonderful folks. Hopefully I contributed in some way, and I can't wait to see them develop their arboretum. I would love to lead a tree hike there someday.
Last but not least... Leslie Anne and I are looking forward to to discussing one of our favorite subjects on March 17th: cedar glades! We have been invited by the wonderful Tennessee Native Plant Society to be the featured speakers for their monthly Zoom meeting. Visit the TNPS website for more information.
Thanks for reading, and we hope your March is filled with birds, blooms, butterflies, and much joy.
All the best,
Jason and Leslie Anne