SPRING!

Spring arrived with a beautiful morning!  I started out on a walk with the dog while the sun was still below the horizon; and the air was cool and crisp, but not cold.

Birds are beginning to claim breeding territories, and could be heard singing from nearby treetops and fence posts; Finches, Flickers, a House Wren or two, a few Doves and the ever-present Chickadees. Oh yes, and the Starlings. I used to hate them with everything I had; they ran out a lot of the song birds I used to see and hear, but how can you not be impressed with a bird that can imitate everything from other birds’ songs, to sirens, telephones, alarm clocks, dogs, cats, and chickens??  I discovered only recently that they are very closely related to Mynah birds!  And they are, after all, very pretty when the light hits them just right. Even though, I sure wish the other song birds would come back. Can’t we all just get along???

The Flickers have adapted well to suburban life, and have learned that anything metal makes a lot more noise than a tree, when you’re drumming on it. Anything is fair game: garbage cans, metal roofs, those big green boxes that encase the electrical breakers and wiring, as well as the exhaust pipe for my furnace. The sound echoes into the furnace and resonates throughout the house. I’m so glad they are only active during the day!

The native plant garden is showing signs of growth!  The Nodding Onions, Flax and Avens are sprouting new, young leaves, and the Silver Sage is greening up again. The leaves on the Bitterroots are about an inch or so tall, and will at least double in height before they die back and produce flowers. There doesn’t seem to be as many as there have been in the past few years. Not sure how long an individual plants lives, but they should be dividing themselves, and producing seeds that will grow new plants. It probably takes a few years for a seed to become a producing plants, but still… 

Hung the flag up this morning; first time since last fall. Not sure why I haven’t hung it out earlier, the weather has been pretty mild of late, with only a few exceptions. But it’s out there now!. I like seeing my flag blowing in the wind.