Hints of green

It snowed (heavily) for a few hours this morning, just to remind us that yes, this is New England, and just because yesterday was the first day of spring, that doesn't mean it has to actually feel that way. And yet, despite the crazy weather, the plants are forging ahead with their spring plans. This morning, I was excited to see the very beginnings of what will soon be leaves (and then flowers) emerging from the buds on the lilac bushes in our front yard.

 

 

Hooray for green things. :D

More signs of Spring: Melting lakes and small furry creatures

Yep, Spring is definitely on its way. With all the rain we've been having, the snow and ice are melting quickly away, and all sorts of small streams and rivulets have sprung up along the paths in the Naugatuck State Forest where I was walking around today. The ice is receding from the lakes, and that means more space for water birds to swim around.

These Common Mergansers (click on the picture to zoom in) were enjoying the newly-open water, and a few Mallards were in attendance as well. Am I crazy, or is the female Merganser (on the left) more interesting and visually appealing than the male (on the right)? I know he has his fancy dark-green head and all, but I think she's just beautiful.

[As a side note, the ice is definitely melting, yet I still saw two people standing in the middle of the lake today, ice fishing.... I suppose they must have tested the ice to make sure it was safe, but doesn't this seem a little risky at this time of year?]

As I was leaving the woods, I startled this foraging chipmunk. He (or she) was kind enough to pose for a photo before scurrying away. Chipmunks hibernate during the winter (or at least, they stay in their holes, as the internet tells me), so I'm taking this as another sign that Spring is coming.

So wake up, furry creatures; wake up, plants! There's warmer weather and lots of rain coming in the next few days -- it's time for Spring!

Spring is coming!

It was a beautiful day today, so I gave in to temptation and went to visit the Naugatuck State Forest, my primary local haunt.  And I am so very glad I did, because I saw my first real sign of the year that Spring is on its way.  The snow and ice are melting, yes, and the days are getting longer, but also... things are growing!  Not only growing, but flowering, too!  I'm eager for Spring to arrive, and so I welcome the appearance of the humble Skunk Cabbage:

I learned recently that Skunk Cabbages are one of the few plants that actually generate their own heat -- how cool is that?  That's how they're able to push their way up through the still-just-barely-thawing ground before any other plant has even thought about opening a bud.  And that motley brown-yellow-green thing in the picture is the Skunk Cabbage's flower.  It's stinky (hence the name) so that flies and other bugs will come pollinate it, but I didn't get close enough to smell this flower -- I'll just have to take its word for it, and I'll leave it to the bugs to really check it out.

So there you have it.  Spring is making its way into Connecticut.  It's going to be a great year. :D