Evidence of Spring

It's not just that there's no snow. Green is returning to the woods and marsh.

On a walk yesterday, I saw skunk cabbage a foot tall in the sunny places. Low shrubs had leaves the size of the proverbial mouse ear and some even larger (the rat's ear of Yore). And some grasses growing green again at the water's edge. An avian chorus was celebrating spring's return with song - song sparrows, grackles, blackbirds, chickadees - most of the usual suspects were finding their voices. Even the Canada geese and mallards were giving voice.

The Spring riot is, of course, more remarkable where we humans live. Forsythia is blooming in profusion while some showy trees are standouts in neighborhood yards and gardens.

And summer's coming. We were in coastal Virginia for the holiday and I can report full out-loud spring in progress with azaleas blooming everywhere and delicious warmth. At last!

April Fool's Day Recordings

These recordings were made April 1 starting around 0930. The peepers were mostly quiet, the wood frogs almost done with their spring bacchanal.

The first recording is 15 minutes long, a bit of a travelogue, a bit of a dialog on the weather, the chestnut trees and then some blessed silence (in other words, I'm not talking) on the little peninsula on the north side.

The second recording continues with blackbirds, a song sparrow or two and six highly irritated Canada geese who took off in dramatic fashion. Here's the next 30 minutes on the marsh.

It includes a meeting with two very happy and very wet golden retrievers and their owners on the bridge. We were all a little damp as a result.

Much of this recording would be fine if you want to feel like you're sitting by the marsh on a warm day, reading a book perhaps and listening, with half an ear, to what the locals are up to. Well, that and the occasional dog breath from Louie, my footsteps and the aforementioned retriever encounter.

Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain - Beautiful Rain

Cleaning up the yard on Saturday I was appalled by the dust that blew in the air with every rakeful of leaves or grass. March was the 2nd driest on record.

And now, we've had some wonderful rain, even big snowflakes today, and the earth is responding. Maple buds are swelling red, pussy willows are meowing happily, other buds are swelling into their own colors and the grass is thinking about being green.

Here's to Spring!

Forethought in Forestry

While Milwaukee isn't exactly wilderness, the city values the effect of trees on its citizens. When Dutch elm disease wiped out the city's spreading elms during the 60s, the city replanted with maples. Now, 40 years later, the sense of forest has returned. Read Globe columnist Derrick Jackson's article..

It's a pleasure to read a story of American forethought and environmental stewardship.