Skunk Cabbage And Some Other Early Signs Of Spring At The Susquehanna Wetlands

It’s been three weeks since I last visited the Susquehanna Wetlands near my home in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The last time I hiked in the wetlands it was windy,  with  over a foot of snow on the ground,  and temperatures in the single digits.  I am not a cold weather fan anymore and I did not enjoy that hike. I was headed back to the wetlands  to look for early signs of Spring and was hoping the snow would be gone. I was in the Florida Everglades for a week when an arctic air mass settled over Pennsylvania. However, it warmed up when I returned and I hoped the snow would be gone.  It was!

I was glad when I arrived Saturday morning and found almost no snow in the wetlands.   It was cloudy with a seasonably cold 35 degrees. The two ponds were still frozen but I was glad I wouldn’t be walking through snow. There is still almost 6 inchesof snow in my backyard. I had to walk  nto the wetlands ,  the access gate is  still closed for the Winter. However, I didn’t have to trudge through a foot of snow like on my last visit.

I did not see or hear any birds in the woodlands along the road. I  usually see  sparrows,woodpeckers ,  black-capped chickadees and other Winter resident birds  on my walks in the Winter.    The woodlands were leafless and bleak and  only green  I saw were the garlic mustard,

and Dame’s rocket plants that survived the snow cover and frigid arctic cold air we experienced this Winter.

There was some snow on the road as I approached the parking lot,

and walked down to the Susquehanna River.  The river was high from the snow melting during the warmer weather we had last week. I was surprised there was no ice on the river.

I walked into the wetlands and found the ponds and canals were  still frozen solid.  It was quiet and unusual not to see or here the many Winter rsident birds that live in the wetlands.

I walked to the frozen  Water Fowl Pond,

and then  followed the Beaver Trail towards the  River lands area of this small, private nature preserve.

On the way I found what I was  hoping to find on my hike, an early sign of Spring, an eastern  skunk cabbage  spathes sprouting up through the cold soil. This plants produce their own heat to melt the snow and ice in late Winter. 

I  walked along the frozen canal,

and finally saw some bird activity, a flock of tufted titmice were in the treetops.

This golden crown kinglet,

and downy woodpecker perched  in the shrubs along the trail.

I came across some open water along the frozen canal and few mallard ducks flew off. The mallard ducks that stay in the wetlands in the Winter usually  are found on the Susquehanna River . Seeing them in the wetlands is another early sign of Spring.And so  was seeing this eastern chipmunk. Although they do not actually hibernate they are not very active in the middle of Winter. They begin stirring in late Winter and it was good to see this little fellow  peeking out   from  his den as I walked past.

I walked through the drab and dreary  wetlands. The only other green colors were the princess pine  or tree club moss ,

and the Christmas ferns growing along the trail.

I walked down to the Susquehanna River again, and here found most of the river covered in ice.

I walked  under the large oak trees along the river,

seeing these false turkey tails mushrooms growing on a fallen log.

I  took the new trail that was made in the  old fields and meadows in the wetlands and was agaqin surprised not to see any bird activity here.

I followed the trail which took me to a stream that was ice free, and here I saw about a dozen mallard ducks and a muskrat. The ducks flew off and the muskrat submerged under the water before I could get any photos.

I walked into the river lands,

and along Lake Took-A-While.   I don’t think I have desrcibed the lake for quite some time now, but Lake Took-A-While is actually four connected ponds or lakes. This is the first,

this the second,

this the third

and this the last.

The four lakes are almost a mile long. I walked along the frozen lakes, and past the withered and brown plants from last Summer, including common-evening primrose,

cattails,

deer tongue grass and

commen reeds.

I walked to the  end of the last  lake section and began my hike back undser the cloudy and dreary February skies.

However, along the way I saw a few more signs of Spring. First,  I saw this female red winged blackbird. Soon large flocks of these birds will be migrating back into the wetlands.

And I saw a flock of American robins foraging for worm  on some grass along the lake. There must have been two dozen of them.

I also  saw a large flock of  cedar waxwings,

feeding on some crab apples along the lake.

A hairy woodpecker was also nearby. I often find different species of birds foraging for food together in the Winter months.

I walked back into the wetlands,

and again found another group  of foraging birds. This time I saw a few eastern blue birds,

this song sparrow,

and a pair of Carolina wrens along the trail. Here  is a link to a gallery on my blog web site with some more photIos of the birds I saw on my 5 mile hike. Susquehanna Wetlands birds February 21 2026.

I continued my hike back to my Jeep. I  was glad to observe some of the birds that remain in our area in our long and cold Winter,

but as I finished my 5 mile hike  on this dreary February morning I  was looking forward to warmer weather and the return of our warm weather friends, the migratory song birds, and the flowers, frogs, leaves , insects and many other signs of Spring.  Here  is a link to a gallery on my blog web site with some more photos from  my 5 mile hike. Susquehanna Wetlands  February 21 2026.

I thought the world was cold in death;
      The flowers, the birds, all life was gone,
      For January’s bitter breath
      Had slain the bloom and hushed the song.
And still the earth is cold and white,
      And mead and forest yet are bare;
      But there’s a something in the light
      That says the germ of life is there.
~Mrs. Jane Goodwin Austin, “February,”