What to Look For
A month-by-month guide to what's blooming, fruiting, and changing in New England.
March — Spring
4 things to look for this month
Spring Wildflowers
Wildflowers emerging and blooming across New England
Prairie Willow
Salix humilis
Fuzzy greenish catkins appear before the leaves emerge, usually in March or April. New leaves unfurl as soft, silvery-green shoots that are quite fuzzy to the touch.
Ivy-leaved toadflax
Cymbalaria muralis
New growth emerges early, with fresh green trailing stems and the first small purple flowers appearing by late spring.
dangleberry
Gaylussacia frondosa
Small, dangling bell-shaped flowers appear, hanging gracefully from long stalks beneath the emerging leaves. The greenish-white blooms are easy to spot against the fresh green foliage.
green ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Small, inconspicuous purplish-green flowers appear in clusters before the leaves emerge in early spring. New leaves unfold in late April to early May with a fresh, bright green color.
bur oak
Quercus macrocarpa
New leaves emerge late April to early May, unfolding from small reddish buds. Tiny yellowish-green flowers appear with the leaves - males in drooping catkins, females as small spikes.
naked bishop's cap
Mitella nuda
Leaves emerge early and flower stalks appear in late spring, usually May into early June. This is prime time for identification when both the fuzzy leaves and tiny white flowers are present.
Emerging Leaves
Fresh foliage unfurling on trees, shrubs, and herbs
tiger lily
Lilium lancifolium
New shoots emerge as pointed green spears pushing through the soil, quickly developing into leafy stems. The distinctive alternately-arranged leaves make identification possible even before flowering.
Prairie Willow
Salix humilis
Fuzzy greenish catkins appear before the leaves emerge, usually in March or April. New leaves unfurl as soft, silvery-green shoots that are quite fuzzy to the touch.
Elecampane
Inula helenium
New shoots emerge as tight clusters of fuzzy leaves, with the enormous basal rosette becoming apparent by late spring as leaves unfurl to their full impressive size.
hairy white oldfield aster
Symphyotrichum pilosum
New growth emerges as fuzzy, grayish-green shoots from the base. Young plants are low and leafy, showing their characteristic hairy texture early on.
one-sided wintergreen
Orthilia secunda
Evergreen leaves are visible and fresh-looking as snow melts. New growth begins to emerge from the center of leaf clusters.
Kalm's Lobelia
Lobelia kalmii
Young plants emerge as small rosettes of narrow leaves in late spring, beginning their slow growth toward summer flowering.
Fiddleheads Unfurling
Ferns pushing up their distinctive coiled fronds
rusty woodsia
Woodsia ilvensis
New fiddleheads emerge from rock crevices, densely covered in silvery-brown scales that make them look almost furry.
Mackay's Fragile Fern
Cystopteris tenuis
New fiddleheads emerge in late spring, unfurling into fresh bright green fronds that are at their most robust and easiest to identify before summer heat sets in.
Braun's holly fern
Polystichum braunii
New fiddleheads emerge in late spring, densely covered in shimmery brown scales that gradually unfurl to reveal the fresh green fronds beneath.
broad beech fern
Phegopteris hexagonoptera
Fuzzy fiddleheads emerge in late April to May, slowly unfurling their broad triangular fronds as the forest canopy leafs out above them.
Appalachian rockcap fern
Polypodium appalachianum
New fiddleheads emerge from rock crevices, unfurling into fresh green fronds. Old fronds may look a bit weathered but remain evergreen.
blunt woodsia
Woodsia obtusa
Fresh fiddleheads emerge from rock cracks in late spring, unfurling into bright yellow-green fronds. The young fronds are covered in silvery scales that catch the light.
Tree Catkins & Pollen
Trees releasing pollen via dangling catkins
Prairie Willow
Salix humilis
Fuzzy greenish catkins appear before the leaves emerge, usually in March or April. New leaves unfurl as soft, silvery-green shoots that are quite fuzzy to the touch.
green ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Small, inconspicuous purplish-green flowers appear in clusters before the leaves emerge in early spring. New leaves unfold in late April to early May with a fresh, bright green color.
bur oak
Quercus macrocarpa
New leaves emerge late April to early May, unfolding from small reddish buds. Tiny yellowish-green flowers appear with the leaves - males in drooping catkins, females as small spikes.
creeping juniper
Juniperus horizontalis
New growth appears as bright green tips on branch ends, and tiny yellowish male cones may release clouds of pollen on windy days.
white poplar
Populus alba
Catkins appear in March-April before leaves emerge, followed by the distinctive two-toned leaves that immediately flash their white undersides in spring breezes.
post oak
Quercus stellata
Small yellowish-green flowers appear in May as leaves emerge. New leaves unfold with a soft, fuzzy texture and pale green color.