Ragged Mountain Memorial Preserve, West Lane. Berlin, CT. A quick 4 mile out and back hike with some loved ones.

Today’s adventure was a special one because it was Mother’s Day and I got to go hiking with my son, sister and BIL. I have hiked Ragged Mountain several times so I knew it would be a great hike for people who enjoy hiking, but don’t get out on trails as often as I do.

The weather and the views were beautiful, but the wildflowers that were blooming were what caught my eye the most. We saw:

• Rock Harlequin
• Red Columbine
• Virginia Dwarfdandelion
• Plaintain Pussytoes
• Salomon’s Seal
• Downy Yellow Violet
• Wild Geranium
• Early Saxifrage (lungwort)
• Rue-Anemone
• Blue Violets
• Hillside Blueberry

Other notables were a rock that had split into two, a strange “rock” that may have been a coprolite, and Angie’s rock. Angie had seen a cool looking rock on the way out that she thought about the whole hike. She told me she was going to try to find it to give to me. As it turns out we skipped the hill it was on the return, but as good luck would have it, she turned at the right spot and said, “I think we went up that hill,” and walked over, looked down, and there was the rock.

Adventurers included: Jes, James, Angie and Ben