I Spy on the Trails - March 2026

Spring equinox eastern comma butterfly.
They hibernate over winter
in leaf litter and behind bark.

Wild spring!!

We had amazing and variable weather - snow, rain, sun, ice, blizzard, warmer temps, cooler temps, 80s. As Minnesota meterologist Paul Douglas calls March in Minnesota, "The Land of 10,000 Weather Disappointments" in the "United States of Weather Extremes." Amen, brother!

Trails have been mushy so I've spent most of my time on paved, graveled or grassy trails through prairies, and wetlands. Our blizzard snow let me test out my the deeply discounted Atlas snowshoes that I bought at Madison's annual Canoecopia paddle show in mid-March. They work swell!

Mid-month late snow and cold looked like it might delay a few some of our earliest wildflowers by a few days compared to last year but sharp-eyed hikers spotted the first green ground-hugging leaves of avens, prairie smoke and a few ferns - and garlic mustard,  of course and...

...two of our earliest blossoms arrived this month:

Silver maple is one of the earliest flowering trees

• Tall majestic silver maples in the Black River bottomlands at Lytle's Landing are displaying their delicate flowers that have pushed through their red buds. I seldom see them close-up but a fallen maple across the trail allowed me an eye-level view of these first flowers of the season. They are a real treat to see close up.
• Pasque flowers made their welcome debut and should be around the Driftless area through late April. My phenology notes indicated them blooming on March 24 last year. Nice to see their timely return.  Be sure to seek them out on sunny, sandy prairies or on blufftops or quarry floors through April.

Trumpeter swans on
La Crescent's Blue Lake 

The migration of waterfowl has really picked up with a few of our hardy songbirds joining in their return. As songbird migrations begins in earnest, we are seeing and hearing the earliest returning migrants. Early butterflies are making the scene as well.

Spring prairie burns are starting. It is amazing to see how these burns re-ignite forbs during the ensuing growing season. 

Despite sloppy weather and spending two weeks off the trail while sick, I was able to hit the trails quite a few times this month. I was eager to see the migration action and the first spring flowers and sprouts! Thanks to friends and family who joined me in watching the spring world begin her awakening.

Plant Observations

3/22/26
Image -Kris Lawson

Flowering:

• bloodroot
• buttercuo, prairie
• Pasque flower
• silver maple buds

The series of pictures to the right show 

one clump of Pasque flowers

over a four day period.

The blooms respond to sun, temperature

and timing. It was great fun to see the 

first picture, taken by a hiking friend.

She also included a picture of the 

3/24/26

exact location so I could find it.

Two days later, a friend and I were able to locate the clump.

The buds were more prominent, but

the one opening bloom was closed in

the cloudy 40s temps.

The next day, a sunny 70s, all the blooms

were open and the party had begun.

You can find Pasque flowers blooming through mid to late April. 

If you want to see this clump, head to the pine tree at Holland Sand Prairie. They are right on the path. Others are easily visibly

on the path to the pine as you look left.

Enjoy!

          

Sprouts:

• aster, aromatic
• aster, silky
• aster, silver
• butterfly weed
• cecily, sweet
• columbine
• goldenrod, Canada
• goldenrod, showy
• Dutchman’s breeches
• fern, spinulose wood
• pussytoes
• pussywillows 
• toadflax, bastard
• white avens
• wormwood, field
• yarrow 

Fungi/Moss/Lichen:

• moss, hair
• moss, woodsy thyme
• mushroom, scarlet elfin cup 

Wildlife Observations (seen, heard, detected)

Trempealeau Wildlife Rufuge

Birds:

• blackbird, red-winged
• blackbird, rusty
• bluebird
• blue jay
• cardinal, northern
• chickadee, Black-capped
• cowbird, bow headed
• creeper, brown
• crow, American
• eagle, bald
• flicker, northern
• junco, dark-eyed
• grackle
• hawk, Coopers
• hawk, redtailed
• killdeer
• kingfisher
• kinglet, golden-crowned 
• nuthatch, white-breasted
• phoebe, eastern
• robin, American
• sparrow, house
• sparrow, song
• sparrow, tree
• starling, European
• thrush, hermit
• titmouse, tufted
• towhee, eastern
• woodpecker, downy
• woodpecker, hairy
• woodpecker, pileated
• woodpecker, red-bellied
• woodpecker, red-headed

Waterfowl:

• Canada geese

  

  Merganser
  Allan Bigras, Merlin Bird ID

• crane, sandhill
• duck, bufflehead
• duck, canvasback
• duck, gadwell
• duck, green-winged teal
• duck, mallard
• duck, merganser
• duck, scaup
• duck, shoveler
• duck, widgeon
• duck, wood
• gull, ring-billed
• pelican, American
• swan, trumpeter

Reptiles/Amphibians

• frog, chorus 
• frog, spring peeper
• turtle, painted

Insects/Arachnids:

• butterfly, comma eastern
  
• butterfly, mourning cloak 

First sighting of bloodroot this season
It's reddish leaves are still wrapped around its stem

What are YOU seeing on your hikes?

A month of hikes
Hikes below in colored, bold type or underlined have links to previous posts OR descriptions/location 
of the trails found online.

Holland Sand Prairie, Holman WI (4); Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent MN (2); Ravine Woods, La Crescent, MN;  Riverside Park, La Crosse, WI (2); Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge, Trempealeau WI (2); Edna Taylor Conservation Park, Monona WI; Bluffside Park, Winona MN (2); Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area, Bernard IA; Yellow River State Forest, Harpers Ferry, IA ; Lytle's Landing, Brice Prairie WI (2); Reno Quarry, Reno MN

Bushwhacking and working on tree identification.
Still just 50/50 on tree ID skills.
Image - Kris Lawson

The "I Spy on the Trails" column is a phenology (the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals) journal to chronicle year-round the weather, plant life and wildlife I observe while hiking. It is very useful in helping me compare observations from year-to-year. The column is published monthly from September through April and then twice-a-month from May through August when warm weather brings the natural world back to vibrant life.

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters

Great views in Yellow River State Forest - sunny and 60's

You can read my quarterly column on seasonal hiking suggestions in Inspire(d) Driftless Magazine available online or pick up a free copy at businesses and organizations around the Driftless areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.