HALLIE EPHRON: Here in New England, signs of spring are everywhere.
I've got a carpet of deep blue scilla in my garden. I did not plant a single bulb – they are all a legacy of the former homeowner from whom we took over decades ago.
I hope they'll be here thirty years from now when future owners look out the window in early April.
Daffodils are up all over my neighborhood, too, and wouldn’t they look wonderful in my yard next to the blue scilla? But for the clever squirrels that are descended from cleverer squirrels who dig up and eat daffodil bulbs (and behead tulips) that I have the effrontery to plant.
Daffodils are up all over my neighborhood, too, and wouldn’t they look wonderful in my yard next to the blue scilla? But for the clever squirrels that are descended from cleverer squirrels who dig up and eat daffodil bulbs (and behead tulips) that I have the effrontery to plant.
I stick with bulbs like wild hyacinths that are made of sterner ( and presumably less tasty) stuff.
My favorite thing about this time of year is, no surprise: birds.
My favorite thing about this time of year is, no surprise: birds.
Our bird bath is standing room only. Year-rounders, like robins, seem rosier-breasted and more melodious as they strut their stuff. The jays seem bluer and more pugnacious--the other birds give them a wide berth. Cardinals seem more vibrantly red and raucous as they call out for a mate and defend their turf. Flutey little song sparrows show up, hopping on the lawn and stay well into fall.
Migrating birds are passing through. Orioles (Baltimore and Orchard). Red bellied woodpeckers (they have a red heads with only a wash of pink on its belly that's only visible when the bird is upside down). Warblers of all kinds.
A counterpoint: our winter birds like the Juncos (aka snowbirds) are flocking and taking off en masse.
I go on lots of walks in our nearby Blue Hills, so satisfying early on a spring morning when birds are easy to hear and easier still to spot. In a few weeks the foliage will fill in to protect their nests from prying eyes and marauding hawks.
And occasionally among the birds, there’s one I've never seen before – cause for celebration!
Migrating birds are passing through. Orioles (Baltimore and Orchard). Red bellied woodpeckers (they have a red heads with only a wash of pink on its belly that's only visible when the bird is upside down). Warblers of all kinds.
A counterpoint: our winter birds like the Juncos (aka snowbirds) are flocking and taking off en masse.
I go on lots of walks in our nearby Blue Hills, so satisfying early on a spring morning when birds are easy to hear and easier still to spot. In a few weeks the foliage will fill in to protect their nests from prying eyes and marauding hawks.
And occasionally among the birds, there’s one I've never seen before – cause for celebration!
The other day on a pond walk I’m pretty sure I spotted a ring-necked duck... but it coulda been a scaup. (Ring-neck is on the left below - but look how similar it is to a scaup.)
Jerry kept a life list in our bird book.
I scrawled my addition with a few question marks since it was too far away to be absolutely certain. Such is the way with birding. But my birding companion who had stronger binoculars assures me the beak was a ring-necked duck's. And the shape of the head had me convinced of the same.
The icing on the cake during that walk was spotting a river otter.
In April, I'm looking forward to when we'll be walking the woods looking for pink lady's slippers. They like to bed down in patches of pine needles at the base of a tree.
Nature is the payoff for paying attention.
What are your signs of spring?
Jerry kept a life list in our bird book.
I scrawled my addition with a few question marks since it was too far away to be absolutely certain. Such is the way with birding. But my birding companion who had stronger binoculars assures me the beak was a ring-necked duck's. And the shape of the head had me convinced of the same.
The icing on the cake during that walk was spotting a river otter.
In April, I'm looking forward to when we'll be walking the woods looking for pink lady's slippers. They like to bed down in patches of pine needles at the base of a tree.
Nature is the payoff for paying attention.
What are your signs of spring?
The daffodils are our first harbingers of spring . . . tiny green leaves are sprouting on the lilac bush.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see robins and mourning doves . . . and soon the deer will be wandering everywhere . . . .
Sounds like you're a few weeks ahead of us. Our lilacs are still pretty bare. Fortunately we're too urban for deer, though we do get the occasional fox or coyote. And of course the scourge of the urban gardener: bunnies. Masses of them.
DeleteI'm waiting to spot my first trillium on a forest hike here in Oregon. The daphne was about a month late this year and looks a bit sick, but is finally blooming. One little cutting in a vase makes the house smell wonderful. I can hear the northern flickers at work and the hawk was in her nest yesterday. I'm hoping for hawk babies later this spring.
ReplyDeleteWish I knew wildflowers as well as I know birds. I think we have trillium here, too, but I'll have to keep an eye out for it because I don't remember noticing it.
DeleteSpring has almost left us, now that the outdoor temps are hovering in the high 80's. Walks are happening in the wee hours but not as often. My hearing devices permit me to hear the softer song birds this season. We do have one stand out mockingbird, who proudly runs the gamut of borrowedr melodies finishing with 'cheep cheep cheep'. (I think of this a mockingbird for puff puff puff.) We had a cold snap in January, but happily all the trees survived. At the Zen Center, the Chinese elm leafed out, and the Hong Kong Orchid tree bloomed again. My favorite, the jacarandas, lovely purple flowers, bloomed last month. Soon my sleep schedule will switch to dozing in the day, and up at night. Very grateful that the cats while puzzled do join me at odd hours. Congrats on seeing the new ducks, that fellow looks splendid in his mating colors.
ReplyDeleteLOVE jacarandas! A west cost treat. Mockingbirds are hilarious. Sometimes they sound like people laughing. Clever birds.
DeleteThe birds and their songs are delightful here, too, although I don't have a bird bath. We have a few daffodils in bloom, with more on the way. Tulips are pushing up through the leaf litter (which is so messy but important to leave in place until May). Forsythia buds are swelling, and I'm itching to get some lettuce planted in my raised box.
ReplyDeleteHappy spring! And thank you for the reminder to get myself over to Plum Island with binocs in hand.
Remembering my first bird walk at Plum Island (just north of Boston)... flocking snow geese were taking a rest (hundreds of them) and I saw my first green heron and ruby crowned kinglet.
DeleteI first went on a vacation from Indiana (en route to Maine, I think). Saw my first peregrine falcon and a huge Canada goose nest. And more. Such a treat.
DeleteHappy Spring. Hallie! The squirrels here do not eat the daffodils nor the irises, which are beginning to bud. They did eat all the tulips and the showy lilies but we stopped replanting those in defeat, years ago.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could join you on your birding walks. I do not keep a life list, but I do love birds.
I don't keep a list either... but Jerry was compulsive that way. He liked to know where he'd been.
DeleteWhat a joyful post. Your birding walks sound lovely. Here in Braga, a city, we end up taking "gardenwalks" si
ReplyDeleteBraga! I had to look you up - in Portugal. Closest we've been was in Porto and it was before either of us were noticing birds. Here so many of my neighbors have ripped out their shrubs and have fence-to-fence grass backyards. Not very conducive to birds.
DeleteOne of my signs of spring is my boss coming back from Florida. LOL!
ReplyDeleteThe return of the pollen count on TV is another sign. I'm not usually allergic to it but last year was probably the first time I was really affected by it in such a way that I mentioned it to my doctor.
Allergies... I've had them for years. Good thing that medications for it have gotten so much better. It does take the fun out of a good walk.
DeleteIck. I pressed some wrong button. We end up taking garden walks, since the city is so beautifully gardened. It changes seasonally. Now pansies and late tulips in all colors, and flowers that look like gazanias and zinnias. No daffodils though, which I love. I haven't seen any daffodils at all. The birds are rejoicing over spring, too, although I don't know their names. Surely some are nightengales: their songs are so ric by and vibrant. And redbud (I think) trees are decorating plazas, as well as Asian Magnolias. It's such a serene feeling to walk around.
ReplyDeleteYou make it sound SO ENTICING! Worth a trip, for sure. I did love our trip to Portugal. (The food! of course...) And the sheer beauty of the cities and towns and open spaces...
DeleteSpring is fully here in California, many flowers bloom here year round. We cut back any roses that look like they may be temporarily dormant. This happens during our only real cool month of January. All the trees are in full leaf and soon it will be hot every day. The birds don’t really leave and I am in central California. Spring start here in late January when the trees begin blooming.
DeleteNo real signs of spring yet in Ottawa. No flowers, or birds. We had some snow Monday but most of the snow & ice has melted. Oh wait, we are supposed to get another all day freezing rain storm Wednesday. SIGH
ReplyDeleteGaaah.... Brrrr. Some of our bulbs started to come up a few weeks ago when the temperature went down to -9 MINUS 9! Fahrenheit. And the tips of all their leaves turned brown. Still the rest of the plant is pushing up and I'm hopeful they'll flower.
DeleteHow lovely, Hallie! We are still waiting for our signs of spring here in the north country. Our red winged blackbirds have returned, waiting for the first robins and warblers.
ReplyDeleteRed wings! Truly the harbinger of spring here, too.
DeleteOh my goodness, what wonderful pics, Hallie. No such signs of spring here yet, and a Colorado Low coming our way this evening into Wednesday: grrrrr. That means snow and wind: grrrrr. But the spring sun has caused a wee bit of melting, such that the cat brings in muddy paws on re-entry from her brief forays outdoors -- that's definitely a sign of the changing season.
ReplyDeleteBirds are wonderful and we enjoy feeding them through the winter. I particularly love the pileated woodpecker, who dwarfs the hairy and downy woodpeckers who also frequent our feeders. The blue jays are fun to watch as they land to pick up a peanut in the shell and take off with it, who knows where. And I think your juncos will be coming our way soon!
A visiting pileated! Lucky you!! When the go after a tree trunk, sounds like a jackhammer.
DeleteDaffodils blooming all over town. My surprise clump by the front walk is bloomed out though. But, surprise! I have a crabapple tree in the back yard and it is blooming to beat the band.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't surprise me if that surprise daffodil was planted there by a squirrel. That's what they do. "Plant" acorns and anything else they're going to want to go back and find later. Like a dog and bones.
DeleteThe daffodils have bloomed in succession, from mini-daffs to the elegant hybrids. The squirrels don't bother the bulbs. The pear trees have a subdued bloom this year, due to the extreme temperature swings (75 dropping to 30 degrees) and high winds. The crabapples leaf out before blooming. The red bud trees are about to pop. It's birdie acres around here: cardinals, robins, house finches, song sparrows all nesting in the bushes. Hawks circle overhead and the coyotes are bringing their young out of the den. Our bushes are terribly winter-damaged, but I'll give them a season to recover. Happy birding!
ReplyDeleteI have a little holly bush I"m going to have to finally give up on. Breaks my heart.
DeleteHallie, these are gorgeous photos! I was going to ask you if there are differences between Spring in southern California where you grew up and New England?
ReplyDeleteLiving in the SF Bay Area, we had more rain recently. Usually the signs of Spring is when I start sneezing from the pollen. LOL. I love seeing the beautiful flowers. We have cherry blossom trees in our town. The landscape is VERY green, thanks to the recent rains.
Diana
Diana you are a college educated person. You are seriously asking if there is a difference between Spring in Southern California and New England, on the east coast. Yes, about four months and 40 degree temperature difference.
DeleteExactly! There IS NO SPRING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. No one grows daffodils.
DeleteYour photos are beautiful! Unfortunately, we don't seem to have an abundance of birds. But then I got to thinking that we do but they are so common year round. Birds such as seagulls, terns, pelicans, and lots of big loud mouthed black crows (two got into a squawking match right outside our kitchen window). Sometimes, on very rare occasions, one can see these wild large bright green parrots that somehow were introduced to our area. We have lots of sea lions and seals at a popular tourist Cove. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers, and they can grow in our area but I rarely see them planted either in gardens or in the wild. Sad!
ReplyDeleteMe again from above. I wanted to add that your post today made me realize how little attention we might pay to nature as we go about our day with stuff to do. It is a great reminder to stop and look and really see what is all around & right in front of us.
DeleteOh, I love that! Thanks so much for letting me know. We do live in a fabulous world even if it is deteriorating before our very eyes.
DeleteWhen I was out and about yesterday, marveling at all the flowering trees and bulbs sparkling every yard and traffic island, I was thinking Cincinnati is at her showiest in the spring. We have a lush landscape to begin with, but spring is just so lovely here. The blooming of the hellebores kicks off the season, because everything follows quickly from there.
ReplyDeleteIn my own yard our pandemic hard work is paying off. The Doublefile viburnum is about to bloom--heavily--for the first time, as are the Miss Kim lilac, and the snowball viburnums we brought from the old house, and so many others. The Forest Pansy redbud we planted at the edge of the porch has big fat buds on it--did you know redbud blossoms are edible? They are in the pea family, and make a sweet addition to a salad, or they make a beautiful rosy jelly. The crabapple should finish opening today and tomorrow, and I noticed the first buds opening on the Bleeding Hearts yesterday. And drumstick allium foliage is enormous, promising showoff blooms to come.
Oh, yeah, the birds. Steve is semi-retired, but he still photographs and films feeders for several companies (including Brome Bird Care, neighbors of Louise Penny). At any given time we have half a dozen to a dozen feeders scattered around, plus two bluebird houses and a wren house. It's a bird sanctuary here. Last evening a Barred Owl was hooting and the two little boys next door were calling back to it. Love that.
DeleteOh, Karen - make up the bed in the spare room, svp. I'm a comin'! And a barred owl!!
DeleteHallie, you are welcome anytime! The bed is freshly made.
DeleteAnd a bald eagle flew over yesterday! There's a nesting pair along the river, which is less than two miles away.
DeleteThe daffodils are poking through here in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. They may be my most favourite flower of all. Here they bloom for well over a month as our spring is so chilly. There is a pile of crocus hibernating under a significant pile of snow that so far has not been washed away by rain. Apparently (according to the barking dog) there were deer cruising the vegetable garden checking out the tulip beds last night. I was always so proud that we had deer, but they had not ventured into the garden…
ReplyDeleteRobins are back and the grackles are seen collecting sticks. Osprey has been seen, but maybe Eddie the Eagle has given it the boot. The first real sign of spring is the sound of the peepers – probably a few weeks to go on that yet.
Have you tried inaturalist? https://inaturalist.ca/
It is a free citizen science programme where people from around the world post pictures and name the nature – bird, mammal, flower – and either name it or have someone else name it. There are many scientists and other knowledgeable people on it, so replies to sightings happen quickly. It is so practical for two things – learning about what you are unsure of, and tracking what is in your area from year to year. It is very electronic friendly to understand.
I regularly use it to see just when the grackles or whatever came back, and use it as my butterfly counting place each year.
Speaking of them – how long until July when the marvelous Monarchs should return?
Margo, love your descriptions! Going to check out that web site.
DeleteI published the first blurb about 10am our time. It is now 3:30 and the snow is gone! It went from freezing to 12 degrees (54f), which was enough to sublimate the snow. I thought it was time to water the small tomato plants I have growing and the tomatoes are now 12" tall - guess I will be taking the tops off as well as watering. Time to begin the nag to have the greenhouse put up...
DeleteSo nice to see pictures of blooming lovelies even farther north than we are. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago, during one of this year's odd warm spells, a red-winged blackbird showed up at our "backyard buffet" (birdseed on the ground), so I thought, yay! Then, the cold returned, and the red-wings disappeared again.
I bet I see some today. :)
Last month, at the barn where I'm a "pony auntie" (grooming, tending observing the equine behavior soap opera) some snowdrops bloomed. The willow overlooking one of the turnouts budded early but it halted its progress. I guess it became excited prematurely, too.
I love it when the willows bloom - golden tresses - they're the first to show their stuff here, around the time our magnolias open. Which is NOW. Then we usually get a little wind or warmish weather and the magnolias drop everything but the willows still hang on.
DeleteSpring flowers and migratory birds. Such hopeful reminders that longer, warmer days are ahead.
ReplyDeleteOn March 18th the chipmunks emerged, and in quick succession we saw turkey vultures, robins (not year rounders here), red wing blackbirds, grackles, and starlings.
We still have juncos and white-throated sparrows.
This winter we were pleased that two snow buntings landed in our yard and spent a day eating birdseed. In the fields beyond our little town, the flocks seem to be always in flight, barely touching down. Maybe these two were older and needed a rest.
We saw goldeneye in the lake this morning. The males throw their heads back to get attention from females.
Oddly, in January and February, at two different places we saw bluebirds. Actual bluebirds in the winter! A friend in Maine said she saw some, too, this winter.
Hellebores and crocuses are blooming, daffodils emerging. What joy!
Our tulips are safe in pots in the root cellar, and really we should be putting the containers in the greenhouse to give them a boost.
SNOW BUNTINGS!! GOLDENEYE! You are indeed fortunate. We had a more mundane pair of mockingbirds jumping around each other and spiraling up and down... must be prelude to mating. Or two males fighting. Take your pick.
DeleteLove your blue flowers, Hallie! So pretty. My daffodils are up so I am looking forward to the blooms. I never knew that squirrels ate those bulbs; as far as I know they haven't bothered the ones here. But deer will eat eat tulip bulbs which is why I don't plant them. Yesterday I saw one little crocus. Apparently that is all I'll ever have.
ReplyDeleteI thought your red-bellied woodpecker looked a lot like a flicker, so I had to look them up. The flicker is quite a bit larger and now I am wondering if the birds I see are really woodpeckers and not flickers. This will call for very sharp eyes! I do know the Hairy Woodpecker and the Downy Woodpecker and I have seen and heard a Pileated woodpecker.
Judi, flickers are a type of woodpecker, so you're still right! They are very different from the red-bellieds, though. When the flickers, which are a bit bigger, fly, they show a shaft of gold under the wings. And they have a black "mustache".
DeleteYou do better than I do with the Hairy and Downy. I almost have to see them together to see the size differences.
And my lemon tree from Gurley's should arrive today. Thanks again for the rec, and for the info on growing them. Fingers crossed!
DeleteKaren let me know if you have any other lemon-related questions! Not saying I can always answer them, but still.
DeleteRight! Flickers ARE woodpeckers. Our have yellow under the wings and white rumps. I've seen the other variety once. Or twice...
DeleteHallie, I'm so jealous of all the wonderful birds you get to see! Lucky you! We don't have that wide variety...I wish we did...but we're enjoying the spring singing of those around us. I did see a female cardinal on my back patio the other day and stopped to watch her until she flew away. So lovely and so soothing! I hope you'll share more of your pictures.
ReplyDeleteI love the color of a female cardinal. Imagining a chiffon gown in those colors. Sigh.
DeleteThere is a cala lily next to a path I use to get from the parking lot at church. The beautiful, large green leaves have been out for weeks but I finally saw the buds last weekend. The leggy lilac, by my driveway, is finally showing some blooms. I haven't smelled it yet. The lilac is one of those flowers that cause headaches for me.
ReplyDeleteMe, too - I like them outside but I never cut them and bring them in. I'd be sneezing all night.
DeleteOh, how wonderful, Hallie. When I was at Left Coast Crime walking the resort with Gigi Pandian, we saw a vermillion flycatcher - we don't have them in central AZ so I was giddy. Otherwise, the citrus are in bloom and the perfume is so thick you could spread it on a cake. That to me is always the sign that spring is officially here and the heat is coming...
ReplyDeleteWowza! I have never seen a vermillion flycatcher. VERMILLION is an amazing amazing color. Here's a picture if anyone else is interested https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Vermilion_Flycatcher/overview# -
DeleteWondering how you knew what you were looking at?
During the long Covid isolation, I went a little (okay, a lot) crazy putting up birdfeeders and now I have quite a lot of regular bird visitors. I've been enjoying watching the male goldfinches making their transition to their breeding plumage; there are 6 or 7 of them all in various stage of change. The females are so much more subdued. And I have a pair of bluebirds coming daily. I can't wait for the Baltimore orioles, hummingbirds, catbirds and, if I'm lucky, rose-breasted grosbeaks.
ReplyDeleteYou must be in a great location to have so many birds visiting. We used to see a rose-breasted grosbeak every spring, Waaaay up in the branches of a tree. But it's been awhile. They look like their hearts have been pierced... so dramatic.
DeleteI'm still waiting for the snow in the back yard to melt so that I can begin my major spring gardening work: tearing out bittersweet, amur honeysuckle and multiflora rose. I swear, my land is like a primer on invasive species in Maine: as soon as I got rid of enough bittersweet around the apple trees last April, garlic mustard began to spring up everywhere! That's what Spring is for me now - trying to get rid of these pesky plants (or cut back the natives that try to overtake everything, like Virginia creeper.
ReplyDeleteBTW, if anyone knows a way to get rid of the dozens of staghorn sumac saplings I somehow cursed myself with when I tried to cut back the parent tree, please let me know! They're threatening to cut off my access to the lean-to where I keep the lawn mower!
Get the mower out, quick, and keep mowing down the saplings? Pull the garlic mustard after a rain to get the whole root, and it's edible. But guess what I just saw on Wikipedia:
Delete"Harvest young, when it’s less bitter (older plants need to be cooked thoroughly as they contain CYANIDE). Adds spice to dips, sauces, salads, and stir fries." Caps added by me - my mystery author brain is already turning!
Great advice, Edith...
DeleteActually, my quote was from the Nature Conservancy, not Wikipedia.
DeleteMy mother was such an avid bird watcher that she used Audubon records to learn to recognize bird songs. She was good at songs, sillouttes, and the actual bird.
ReplyDeleteI can recognize about a dozen birds by their song. And after that I can say THAT'S ONE I DON"T KNOW! Which narrows it down... not.
DeleteThe (free) Merlin app is fabulous for identifying bird songs! Try it.
DeleteThe daffodils are up and the forsythia is in full bloom. There is the fattest robin that visits our rhododendron bush. And a cardinal couple that comes by on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteThe robins are really in their prime right now. Fat and sassy.
DeleteBeautiful photos, Hallie! Spring is fully sprung here in north Texas. Almost all our roses are blooming, and the first of the bearded iris. The perennials are bursting out and we will have coneflowers blooming in the next week or so. And peonies. I did my first major garden center run over the weekend--now I have to pot all the plants! Lots of birds at the feeder but we are keeping an eye out for the first hummingbirds (Ruby-throated here.)
ReplyDeleteRuby throated are the ones we get here, too. You're WEEKS ahead of us.
DeleteHere in Texas, April brings bluebonnets, and lots of other native wildflowers planted along the roadsides, thanks in large part to the advocacy of Lady Bird Johnson (and the fact that wildflower plantings are much cheaper to maintain than areas TxDot has to mow). But I'm a little far north for many of those wildflowers, so April means roses for me. I have several antique varieties planted in my front yard and this week they are blooming in fabulous profusion. Plus, they smell great, and the wind causes all that scent to pool around my front door. Every time I step out on the porch I am overwhelmed with the sweet smell of spring roses!
ReplyDeleteOur yard used to have several kinds of roses but I've managed to kill them... but not before they maimed me.
DeleteGigi, how wonderful! I've planted a few roses to enjoy, but so far they aren't big enough to perfume the air.
DeleteI hesitate to feed the birds (we have 3 outdoor cats, plus their mama here), but love to see the varieties change with the seasons. We're about two weeks behind southern Ohio up here in the north, but the forsythia is beginning to bloom, the magnolia has pink blossoms showing, the daffodils are blooming, irises coming up, and the green stems of the roses mean they've made it through the winter (it was a mild winter here, mostly). I'm like you, Hallie, I try and try with roses--hoping the five I have now will thrive and bloom again this summer.
ReplyDeleteI love watching spring come to Bern. First the snowdrops, then the crocuses, and now the daffodils and wild primroses: they're everywhere. Lots and lots of cherry trees in bloom in the parks and in people's yards, and the little lilac tree in a pot on my balcony has tiny buds. I keep buying bunches of cut tulips to put in a vase in the living room, but there are no tulips blooming in the gardens yet. I hope to see some in two weeks. Sorry I can't report on birds, Hallie, but I was delighted by your picture of the blue jay. No blue jays in Europe, sadly.
ReplyDeleteKim, I miss our cardinals when I'm in England.
DeleteYou probably have to be of a certain age to be familiar with the Sunday afternoon drive and less than complimentary term "Sunday driver." When I was growing up, our family would go visit relatives on pretty Sunday afternoons in the spring and summer, after church. At the time I'm sure I didn't appreciate it like I should, even though my senses picked up on the lovely scenery. It was around 45 minutes to the closest aunt we visited. Well, this past Sunday, husband and I went for a Sunday afternoon drive, taking Lulu, our Brittany Spaniel, along. She loves to ride in the truck or my vehicle. It was lovely, as there was green grass and budding trees and flowers making appearances. I remember my husband's grandmother had jonquils (one of the species of daffodil) along the lane to their farmhouse, and they were the first flowers out, but his grandmother would always caution that "it always snows on the jonquils." She was usually right. I am not a gardener and don't plant or have a garden, but I do thoroughly enjoy seeing them. I do plan on having our yard landscaped this year, so I'll be talking to the people doing it about easy maintenance plants.
ReplyDeleteI love watching birds now, but we're going to have to do some arranging of feeders in our back yard. Since we fenced the back in, and our doggie is out there on and off all day, the birds have become a bit scarce. Of course, we did have the thrill a few weeks ago of the baby owls, so that was exciting. There are several people I'm friends with on FB who post pics of birds they've taken, and the pics are really outstanding.
I'm in Connecticut and just starting to see so many birds near my feeder and bird bath. I am eager to see my first hummingbird!
ReplyDeleteTrees are finally blossoming a bit here and a few daffodils have survived the untimely frosts, and the extra sunlight is oh so welcome. Ducks and egrets swim the little pond, and turtles are sunning on the logs. Lovely spring. -- Storyteller Mary
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a blue jay in a few years. When the
ReplyDeletebird flu came in, they must have succumbed to it.
I'm in the midwest (southern Illinois). Miss seeing
them.