It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yah, yah, usually this is sung around the holidays, but for those of us living with winter and all the challenging things it gives us, spring is a truly wonderful time of year. Those first glorious warm days, spotting returning birds, watching for greening and blooming plants - what a fabulous season.

So far in the past seven days, we've broken high temperature readings six times. Naturalists at the nature center have spotted and/or heard phoebes, red-winged blackbirds, great blue herons, woodcocks, killdeers, and bluebirds. Male goldfinches are turning bright yellow. Juncoes are gathering in large flocks. (Are they getting ready to head back up north?) The ice is totally gone from the Farm Pond and about half of the Prairie Pond is free of ice. Sap is done running and the silver maples have flowered. And the chorus frogs are singing!

I wonder what will happen next week when spring officially begins...

Maple flowers