The weather people are saying we’re in a “very active pattern” right now. The rest of us are saying “enough.” It wasn’t that long ago when the ground was bare except for plowed up snow piles, but then winter decided it wasn’t finished and we’ve had one nor’easter after another ever since. The first was rain, the second was snow, and the third is snow. Snow at this time of year doesn’t usually stay long but the cooler temperatures of late mean that it’s melting slower than many of us would like.
Despite the storms spring is definitely close at hand. Canada geese have returned and have taken up residence in the Ashuelot River. Soon they’ll be choosing nesting sites.
Willows are shouting spring. I love how they take on this golden color in the spring. It seems unusual that a tree’s branches rather than its foliage would change color, but there they are. Forsythia bushes sometimes do the same thing.
The willow in the previous photo isn’t a “pussy willow” but I did go and visit some. The fuzzy catkins hadn’t changed much since last week but they can grow into yellow flowers quickly. It happened so fast last year that I never did get a good photo of a willow flower. This year I’ll be keeping an eye on them.
The vernal witch hazels have just about bloomed themselves out I think, after blooming for two or three weeks now with storm after storm thrown at them.
It isn’t the cold or snow that will finish their blooming though, it is simply time. You can see in this photo how almost all the petals are brown on their tips. If the winter moths have done their job and pollinated them there will be plenty of seed pods next year. After a year on the bush witch hazel seed pods open with explosive force and can hurl the seeds for many yards. It is said that you can hear them snapping open but it’s a case of being in the right place at the right time, and so far I haven’t been.
Hollyhocks were a surprise. At least I think they’re hollyhocks. I don’t remember them coming along so early, and I used to work for people who grew them. Now I wonder if they aren’t evergreen.
I’ve remembered that the extremely early tulips I’ve been telling you about are actually hyacinths. I remembered their wonderful scent from last year as I was taking their photo. There will be deep blue and pink blossoms here before too long.
Maple syrup makers won’t want to hear this but the red maple flower clusters (Acer rubrum) have opened. You can just see the first flowers peeking out on the right in this poor photo. It’ll still be a while before the flowers unfurl, but they’re on the way and they’re beautiful to see in spring. There are so many red maple trees that the forest comes alive with a red haze when they all bloom together.
I also checked on striped maples (Acer pensylvanicum) but didn’t see any signs of bud break. This is one of those tree buds I most look forward to seeing open, because the pink and orange buds are beautiful when they first open.
Here’s a preview of what those striped maple buds will look like in late April or early May. A tree full of them is really something to see.
I found this mountain of snow when I went to visit the skunk cabbages. It will be a while before it and what was added to it yesterday disappears.
The swamp where the skunk cabbages grow is also home to thousands of spring peepers. On a warm spring day you can often find this part of their swamp filled with floating, chirping frogs, but this was not a warm day and in any event I haven’t heard the frogs singing at night yet. I also still haven’t heard red winged blackbirds or seen any turtles, but spring is moving forward so it shouldn’t be long.
The skunk cabbages (Symplocarpus foetidus) were melting their way through the snow. I’ve seen a surprising number of insects flying around on warmer days so if the plants can stay uncovered they have a good chance of being pollinated.
I went to see how the alders were doing and got this shot of both male and female catkins on the same branch. This doesn’t happen often so I was happy to finally get them both in the same frame. The longer lower ones are the male catkins and the smaller ones at the top are the female catkins. When they’ve been pollinated the female catkins will become the small cone shaped seed bearing strobiles that I think most of us are probably familiar with. I was hoping to see pollen on the male catkins, but not quite yet.
While I was poking around looking at alders I noticed a bird’s nest. I wondered if it was a used red winged blackbird’s nest, because they vigorously defend this area when they’re here.
I checked the female buds of American hazelnuts (Corylus americana,) but I didn’t see any flowers yet. Last year they bloomed near March first but this year the weather must be holding them back. Any time now though the tiny scarlet threads that are the female stigmas will appear.
The daffodils still hang on even though winter has thrown everything it has at them. Last year they came up too early and their leaves turned to mush, so it’ll be interesting to see if they have enough strength left to bloom this year. I haven’t seen any flower buds yet.
The daylilies also made it through the last storm, but I wonder if they’ll make it all the way.
Crocuses are coming up and trying to bloom where the snow is thin. Unfortunately it isn’t thin in many places at the moment.
The biggest surprise on this day was a blooming dandelion. It wouldn’t win a prize in a flower show but it was a flower, and the plant had many buds. No matter what the calendar says this dandelion says spring is here. That along with the fact that we now have an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day is enough to bring on a good case of spring fever.
It’s spring fever, that’s what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain
Thanks for coming by.
I’m amazed that you found as many signs of spring coming as what you did, it still looks and feels like winter here, even though we haven’t gotten as much snow as you have. The storms hitting you have kept our winds straight out of the north, and very strong as well. Even if it does warm up a little, the wind has still been bone chilling here.
However, your post has given me the nudge that I needed, and I’ll venture out the next time that I can make it with my work schedule what it is. I’m looking forward to seeing the maples and other trees begin to bloom again, so much so that I don’t want to miss seeing them even if it’s too windy for photos.
Thanks Jerry! Yes, the constant storms have dragged down cold air here as well, which of course just fuels the following week’s storm. The last one knocked us right back into January, with single digit cold expected tonight. I doubt I’ll see many flowers tomorrow.
I hope you’ll find many beautiful tree buds breaking this year!
Those brave early flowers look like they are shivering in the snow.
We all have been!
Mark Twain had a way with words, didn’t he? I love the quote! All our willows are positively glowing too, so spring must be just around the corner. We are supposed to be having more ice and snow this weekend and I did so want to do some gardening!
Thank you Clare, yes he did!
Ever since I mentioned that spring was showing it has done nothing but snow here, so I know just how you feel.
The dandelion is a very hopeful sign.
I thought so too.
Your plants are quite a bit ahead of ours despite the weather you have been having. I did see a Robin this morning though.
Thanks Montucky! Yes, oddly enough the weather hasn’t seemed to slow them down. It has been above freezing almost every day though so that must help.
I’d love to see a robin. I actually went looking for them last weekend and didn’t see any, even though they say they stay here year round now.
This is a beautiful introduction to signs of spring. All the hopeful little plants and flowers peeping through the snow are very cheering. I am glad to hear you have been mostly spared from the worst of this latest storm. The photos of the buds are just facinating. We are all learning so much and enjoying every minute.
The info about your family settling there so long ago is wonderful. Their first spring there must have been a joyous celebration and a relief. I cannot imagine the courage it took to settle there and not only survive, but thrive.
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Thank you Penny. Yes, parts of the state got as much as 27 inches but I only saw about 4 here, so I was lucky.
I love watching buds open. It’s something I’ve always done.
I can’t imagine, after seeing a winter like this one, why anyone would have wanted to settle here. Things must have been really bad across the Atlantic. My family I’m fairly sure left due to religious reasons. We were Catholic at a time when that wasn’t very wise, and a few of us were jailed because of it.
I’d never heard of winter moths before reading your blog (and many other things for that matter). I’m getting a great education reading it. 🙂
Thank you Lee. I had never heard of winter moths either until I started wondering what pollinated witch hazels. It turns out they shiver to raise their body temperature so they can fly, which I think is amazing.
They’ve certainly had plenty of witch hazel blossoms to pollinate this year!
I could be throwing my money away judging from a picture, but I betcha a nickel those are tulip leaves. Thank you so much for all those signs of spring . I’m waiting for the first call of the red winged blackbird. It blends so well with the tinkle of the last thin ice breaking up.
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Thank you Carol. I thought they were tulips too but then I remembered kneeling down to smell the hyacinths that grew there last spring. But that bed is on the grounds of the local college and I suppose the gardeners could have pulled the hyacinths and planted tulips. They do look more like tulips to me too, but I guess we’ll see.
I’m getting more impatient to hear red winged blackbirds and spring peepers than I usually am. It must be because of the warm February we had.
Cheer up! We are positively buried under snow in central Maine, and there are only the merest vestiges of spring here. It’s amazing how things change going only a few hours north or south, depending on where you live. Wonderful quotation!
Thank you Laurie. Yes, I drive about 30 miles to work and the difference in snow depths is noticeable even in such a short distance.
I’ve always liked that quotation because it describes the feeling perfectly!
These promises of spring are especially welcome as we sit buried in snow yet again. I love this quote from Mark Twain. Thank you. -Susan
You’re welcome Susan. I know exactly what you mean. I’m getting real tired of snow!
I love looking at bud bursts – they are so amazing and lovely, not to mention, encouraging as we near winter’s end and look toward spring! We just welcomed back the first redwing blackbirds to our local pond one week ago. Your nest almost looks like one built atop another, but it does look like it could be one of theirs. The females build the nest, and I just recently read that a naturalist once unraveled a redwing blackbird’s nest and found that it consisted of 34 strip of willow bark and 142 cattail leaves, woven together. It’s remarkable to consider! We’ve been hearing spring peepers for a couple of weeks (but rarely ever get to see one). Our first tulips are now blooming as well, but I was disappointed to realize last week that I totally missed the fuzzy catkins of the only pussy willow I know of in our neighborhood. My parents used to have one in their yard, and I tried to transplant a cutting from it before they did away with it several years ago, but it did not take…though I wish it had. Thanks for another great walk! 🙂
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Thank you Cheri. I’ve always liked watching buds open too.
I haven’t seen any red winged blackbirds yet. I usually hear them before I see them but I haven’t heard them either. That’s amazing about what their nests are made of, but it makes perfect sense.
It sounds like your spring is ahead of ours. No peepers here yet either. It’s really still too cold for them I think.
The yellow pussy willow flowers are beautiful. If you missed the catkins you might still be able to see the flowers. They usually last for a while.
We’re in Tennessee, so quite a bit farther south than you. But I grew up in NY, where I learned to yearn for spring! 🙂
I think it comes with the territory!
Steve is on his way back to NH to sign the closing papers on our house. Hope he doesn’t run into another nor-easter! Love your signs of spring, but happy to ride it out in FL!
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Thanks Laura. He should be alright except for next Tuesday. I’ve heard there may be yet another nor’easter on Tuesday and Wednesday but nobody wants to believe it. It must be a good feeling to finally be signing those papers though. You’ve waited a long time!
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Right now I’m looking at a mountain of snow, under that spring awaits.
Thank you John. Your area has been getting hit a lot harder than we have here. I had maybe 4 inches in my yard yesterday.
Very cheering, all those signs of Spring you found. Loved the quote you chose, so touching.
Thank you Susan. We’re all getting a little impatient waiting for sun and warmth, but it shouldn’t be long.