Spring Signs

First posted on 03-04-2011

We’ve had some nice days here in the Ozarks as winter begins to wind down. Mild breezes, sunshine and temperatures in the mid-60s. Yesterday I even dragged out the garden hose and washed the salt from my truck as memories of icy roads and deep drifts melted as surely as the snow angels I made with my granddaughter just a month ago.

I realize we haven’t yet seen the last of snow. In fact, as I understand it, the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a heavy one for the end of March. The month did come in like a lamb so a roar may already be building.

But for now, it’s time to enjoy crisp days, the smell of fresh earth and daffodils that have already started blooming. The buds on silver maples look like kernels of red popcorn, and the trees are covered with them. Leaves will emerge soon and spring will be underway. Next month, the redbuds will join in and, shortly after, so will the dogwoods. That’s also when the morels will make their brief appearance above the forest floor.

I took a few moments to listen to the birds today. A score of finches that had been feeding on sunflower seeds in my backyard all winter presented a choral symphony as a cardinal joined in from high atop an old oak. The robins had started much earlier, well before dawn in fact, but it was a cheery note with which to begin the day.

This is a good time to clean out the nesting boxes if you have them. Old grass and debris needs to be cleared away so that the next flight of birds can build a home. Parasites and molds can occupy the spaces if left dirty and those can harm young fledglings. Plus, bluebirds will soon go scouting for a spring residence and they will pass by a house that looks like its already been rented.

It’s a little too early for the hummingbirds, who won’t arrive until April, but it is a fine time to clean out their feeders if you didn’t do that at the end of last season. Mold or fungus can be harmful to hummers.

The birds are beginning to slow their forays to my feeders, arriving at no where near the same pace as when snow was covering the ground. But I’ll continue to put out some seed to supplement what they are finding in the wild. The birdbath also demanded a bit of attention, so it got a scrubbing and some fresh water.

I know it’s technically still winter—spring doesn’t officially arrive until March 20—but the signs are showing up everywhere. Still, I don’t think I’ll take the firewood off my porch just yet. March has a way of sneaking up on you. Warm days and blue skies give way quickly to cold snaps and heavy clouds. These final days of winter may still have some punch left in them. The good news is, if it does happen, it won’t last long. Spring is a very determined season.

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