Leader: Kit Sheffield Location: Catoctin Mountain Park, Owens Creek Picnic Area Spring is a time of dynamic change along the forest floor. For the wildflowers, it’s a race against time to bloom and reproduce before the tree canopy leafs out and blocks out the sunlight. At higher elevations, this spring blossoming occurs later, so we have set this exploration for early May. We will cover about two miles on the park's West Side trails, spending most of our time on the Deerfield Nature Trail loop. Catoctin's trails are natural surface trails and there will be some elevation change and cross one small stream on the way.