Signs of Spring in the Neighborhood!

Spring comes in softly.  Small buds on a tree, a few blades of grass pushing up past last years dried remains, you need to look past the browns and grays of this time of year to see beauty of early spring.

A walk around a neighborhood pond reveals welcome signs that the earth is warming up! 

The tiny buds on the bushes on the pond’s edge are starting to unfurl.

As the path winds around the marsh, the skunk cabbage shows off its fancy, speckled colors. This amazing plant can generate its heat, a process called thermogenesis. When the pollinators first wake up in early spring, they are attracted to the skunk cabbage’s lovely scent of rotting meat. The plant's warmth is a bonus to these early visitors in the cool days of the season.

During the fall, beavers cache a supply of twigs and branches under the water. Once the pond freezes over, the beaver family only has to swim a short distance to their “pantry” to secure a snack. Fresh beaver chews along the path in the spring show that our largest rodent is happy to have fresh branches to dine on.

Next to the new growth and beaver chews rest the remnants of beaver work from years ago. Beavers chew on trees to get to their main food source—the inner bark called cambium. Chewing also helps maintain their teeth, as their teeth never stop growing!

Another sure sign of spring is the start of the annual “dating” rituals of wildlife looking for mates. These two Canada Geese danced around the pond showing off their best moves for each other. Perhaps on a return trip goslings will be spotted paddling about!

The marsh marigold provides a bright spot along the path. The flower attracts pollinators to its delicate yellow blossoms. While these early flowering flowers provide much needed nourishment to the pollinators, humans who try to pick them will be rewarded with irritated skin!

A brave baby pine tree survived the winter and is starting to show the very beginnings of this year's growth. When this tree grows to its full size, it will provide shade for the critters that call the pond home and a spot for birds to rest and look for their next meal.

Another wetlands-loving tree, the maple, is adding a hue of red to the landscape. Seen from a distance, these trees cast a pretty red haze over the otherwise gray horizon.

April showers bring May flowers and cloudy skies! When the clouds break, the sun shines through and reflects mysteriously on the water.

April is a month of change! It is a wonderful time to slow down and look for the small wonders of nature!