Another Scrub Lupine season has begun at the preserve this week, about on schedule.
The first seedlings typically appear in mid to late January and continue emerging into February.
The first three seedings I detected were outside the main planting areas along the edge of the heavily impacted east-west trail that is annually mowed even though it has never been overgrown in the 20 years or so I've been on the site.
In recent years the lupines growing along this path have had to have been clearly marked to avoid being destroyed by mechanical onslaught.
I also flagged a three more lupines that apparently emerged last year, and either were never flagged or the flags was removed or destroyed.
In a search earlier this week I also discovered a previous planting area that I had missed when I was asked by Bok's Cheryl Peterson last October to remove cages around the plants to prevent the Eastern Cottontail Rabbits that live on this site from consuming them.
The lupines for the most part appear healthy and as I've noticed regularly some plants have growth with more vigor than others.
So far I have not found any seedlings in the southern planting area, which still has some surviving seedlings from last year's emergence.
The norther planting area contains plants of various ages.
