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NEWS RELEASE Contact: Bobbie Jo Skibo | Media Relations | 907-441-1539 | bobbiejoskibo@xxxxxxxxx Twitter: @AKForestService Celebrate Mother’s Day in Alaska with a wild bouquet and recreation on the forest ALASKA (May 8, 2014) -- This Sunday, give your mother an unforgettable gift by spending time with her on your national forest. Remind her of the unique place where she lives with a visit
to the Tongass or Chugach. The forest provides a variety of spectacular Mother’s Day bouquets. Although it is early in the season for many flowering plant species, the green is on, as plants are responding to warm temperatures, sunny days, and increasing day length. Cottonwoods and alders are flowering, with blueberries, salmonberries and gooseberries just entering the flowering stage. Skunk cabbage is in full flower and ferns are emerging from the
fiddlehead stage. Siberian spring beauty, yellow and purple violets, purple mountain saxifrage, and Fernleaf goldthread may be flowering, while in areas around the Chugach, you can find Jacob’s-ladder,
Sitka alder, kinnikinnick, and lyreleaved rockcress. Now is also a great time to see wildlife. Alaska’s forests teem with birds this time of year as they pass through, return from the south, or find mates and establish nests. Violet-green,
tree, and other swallows have become populous in many areas, while vigilant birders have begun scanning the shoreline for the swift and graceful Aleutian and Arctic terns. Strolling together with binoculars to observe the return of our warblers and shorebirds is a special way to spend time with Mom and the whole family. Many more opportunities exist for
a special Mother’s Day on the Chugach or Tongass. For more ideas, visit the
Forest Service Alaska Region website here. This Mother’s Day, spend time with your family in your national forest—it’s right in your back yard. ### |
