COMING EVENTS

MAY 1 MEETING. The last meeting of the season will feature the showing of entries to the annual nature slide contest, and the presentation of prizes to winners. Come and bring a friend. Meet at 8:00 p.m. in the Provincial Health Building.

NATIONAL FOREST WEEK. May 6—12 has been designated as a time to increase our understanding and appreciation of Canada's forests. See elsewhere in this issue for details of events.

ENVIRONMENT WEEK. This year’s Environment week will be held May 12—19. Notch the media for details of events.

ARBOR DAY. On May 18, 1984 the centennial of Arbor Day celebrations on Prince Edward Island will be marked with ceremonial tree plantings by government representatives, municipalities, schools and private organizations.

BIRDATHON. Reserve Sat., May 26 for the seventh annual Francis Bain Birdathon. Both new and experienced birders are welcome to participate. Contact Geoff Hogan for details.

VALLEYFIELD WOODLOT FIELDTRIP. Sat., June 2 is the date for an expedition to look for early returning woodland birds and to enjoy the trees and flowers of spring. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the YMCA in Charlottetown or at the woodlot at 10:00 a.m. Bring a lunch. (This trip will finish early enough to allow those who wish to participate in the following event.)

SHARAM POINT OUTING. Cblonel Pat Wbotton has invited interested persons to visit his property to learn more about his plans for developing youth camps and a center for alternative technology and self sufficiency. Meet at Sharam Point

at 3:00 p.m. on sat., June 2.

SIGNS OF SPRING

One of the earliest confirmatibns that spring is really on the way comes with the finding of the first Mayflowers (Epigaea repens) of the season. Look in unshaded sandy or stony areas for the trailing heavy stems. The sturdy . oval shaped leaves

often show up in a shiny green contrast to the remnant winter snow. The pink or white flowers appear in small clusters at the tips of the branches and are most readily identified by their spicy fragrance.

Another harbinger of spring is sweet-grass (Hiero- chloe odorata), one of the earliest flowering of grasses. The crinkly-stemmed flower heads appear in May, to be followed later by the short leaves. The leaves contain coumarin, which is responsible for the sweet scent for which the plant is named. sweet-grass grows in low- lying heavy soils, including the upper edges of salt marshes.