Spring Flower Discoveries at Wonder Lake

Posted on June 04, 2016 by April Lahti | 0 comments

One of my favorite places to hike on earth happens to be very close to where I live.  It's a magical little spot called Wonder Lake State Park in Putnam County, New York. 

There are 1133 acres and 9 miles of trails to explore (and of course hunt for new pictures I can personalize for you!). There are many things I love about this place; including the grass-covered understory, the mystery of climbing up in elevation and then discovering a lake (is this why it's called Wonder Lake?), the bird life (we saw the Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, American Redstart, Rufous-Sided Towhee, Pileated Woodpecker and many more), and the  diversity of plant life.  Not only are there many different species of coniferous and deciduous trees, but there were beautiful little spring wildflowers everywhere.  Here are some of the gems you can expect to see here if you visit in late May.

 

Wild Geranium (this was lining the trail in many places):

 

Jack-in-the-pulpit:

 

Star-of-Bethlehem (lily flowers that open in sun only):

 

Celandine (in the poppy family):

 

Starflower (a member of the primrose family:

 

And my favorite of the day, Wild Columbine:

 

If you are ever in this area of the world I would highly recommend a visit to Wonder Lake State Park!

 

Posted in hiking in NY, Spring wildflowers, wildflowers