Signs of spring

It's March.

It's time here in the Southeastern U.S.

The blueberry buds are swelling. Carolina jessamine flowers on the front porch railing are about to open (normally they'd have opened already).  Red maple flowers have come and gone (I think). Some of the earliest spring natives have emerged, although with sporadic blooms.

But the cold February has delayed much of "normal" early spring, from Asian and Mediterranean species to natives alike. My posts from previous years documented that flowering (of most) had already happened in February and early March.

We normally depend on camellias, quince, Japanese apricots, Japanese cherries, and Asian magnolias and their like for early flowers in our part of the world.  This year, they've been blasted again.

I was reminded sorting (and tossing) old slides last week, of my long-ago lab group excursion to see Hepatica nobilis (blooming in the snow), around April - a first sign of spring in Osnabruck, Germany.  


A search on Hepatica (on previous blog posts) brought all sorts remembrances, too. We have our own native species, often the first flowers in spring to be seen.

Usually in February.

Hepatica acutiloba

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Brown thrashers and cardinals

Even if the weather doesn't seem like spring, and is unusual for late February, plants and animals mark and take notice of lengthening days.

The male cardinals are singing now, the robins are flocking, and a brown thrasher is pronouncing loudly (very early in the morning) that his territory consists of the hollies outside the kitchen door.  (We've had thrashers nesting there for years).

We've had snowdrops in flower, and daffodils trying to open.  And there are native trout lily and iris leaves emerging, too.

It's been too cold to poke around out in the front woodland border, but I imagine there are fiddleheads of Christmas fern ready to unfurl, too.  Their normally evergreen above-ground leaves are looking pretty battered right now.

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Signs of spring

Even though it's just at the end of January, there are signs of spring to come. Buds swelling, bluebirds and robins flocking, songs beginning.

I saw a group of 8 Great Blue Herons last week on my morning walk along the dikes above Lake Hartwell.  Most unusual, as normally I'd just see one, or two. 

On this day, too, there were bluebirds foraging in groups, most unusually. Maybe picking up a few dead insects in the grass?  They kept moving ahead of Woody and me, seeming intent on their foraging.

The giant Lonicera fragmantissima in back is now in full flower, and supporting honeybees on warmer afternoons.  We planted it almost 20 years ago as a small, bee-supporting shrub, and as a lawn replacement, and it's flourished.

In our last spring here, in this place, I'm noticing (again) the cycles of the seasons, and what we've contributed to make a vibrant and supportive landscape for birds, bees, etc.  Hmm, it also supports woodchucks and squirrels, and a recent interloper, deer! 

Who knew that deer relish unripe persimmons!   

a normal persimmon crop for our old tree

I've posted quite a bit about the venerable Japanese persimmon we brought with us from Georgia.  I've so enjoyed it.

But deer apparently ATE all of the unripe fruits this fall, amazingly.  I didn't know who the culprit was, until this week, talking to a fellow who was a veteran, and had been stationed in Japan (and loved harvesting persimmons in u-pick sorts of places there. 

He told me that deer loved unripe persimmons!

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Greening begins

Coming down the Blue Ridge Escarpment this evening, the trees looked different. Leaves are emerging. Greening has begun.

It still looked like winter, when I drove "up the hill" to the mountains on Thursday, but not anymore.  The soft greens, pinkish-greens, and pale greens of new foliage were evident across the landscape today.

I wished that I'd had an opportunity to stop and take a photo -- I had my camera, but coming down the escarpment is steep, and there's not really a pull-off opportunity.

But spring green is welcome, for sure, after an unusually long winter.

Interesting to search my previous blog posts for "spring green" (lots of similar musings, along with some outliers).

This was the most pertinent to what I saw today.

From a couple of years ago:

Dogwoods, sassafras and expanded leaves (farther along than today)

An addedum:  I just visited Pearson's Falls today again with my garden group.  Magic.  It's a totally great botanical wonderland of rich cove forest woodland wildflowers.  Visit if you're anywhere nearby!

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A beautiful spring day

Finally, a day worthy of real spring.  Clear blue sky. Temps in the mid-70°s. Redbuds in flower and dogwoods well along.

I planted sprouted fingerling potatoes this afternoon -- the woodchuck shouldn't like the above-ground parts, I hope, even though s/he seems to have snagged my collards already.

I weeded some of the abundant winter annuals (they are not tasty on the plate, regardless of what wild foraging folks write about, in my opinion).  Even with plenty of garlic and olive oil.

Lamium amplexicaule (Henbit)

Can I have just have mustard, spinach, or kale, please?

Hooray for spring and the end of winter, finally.

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Spring is here

In spite of a nasty cold northerly wind today, bringing yet more freezing temperatures, spring is definitely here in the Carolinas. 

It's welcome, for sure.  It's been a long cold winter for us; we're not familiar with the deep freeze (and snowy weather) that we've experienced this year.

But spring is still evident everywhere -- flowering redbuds and oaks, fruiting maples, flowering blueberries, and flowering winter annuals, too (not to mention all the Asian plants -- camellias, forsythias, and Japanese cherries).  The cherry trees are having a good year so far -- they're lovely -- we'll see after the mid-20's temperatures tonight.  Hopefully, they'll be fine.

I've just heard a few spring peepers, but lots of bird calls signalling that it's certainly breeding season!

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Spring is popping out

From daffodils to Oconee bells, flowering has commenced.  Hooray!

The Asian cherries in the median of our small city's entrance are in flower (after being coaxed into early flowering last fall); daffodils are up everywhere in our "yard" --not planted by us, but echoing past gardeners, as do the crocuses.

In the Garden, the first Oconee bells are in flower, too.  At the end of February, it's about time for early spring!

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Finally, signs of spring!

A mild winter day was welcome after the deep freeze of January (and the natural gas bill that accompanied it -- yikes, it was at least a third to a half more than we'd ever paid before!)

More importantly, signs of spring are popping --dandelions are in flower and the early yellow jasmine (the Asian shrub, not our native Carolina jessamine) is in flower in our neighbor's yard.

It's welcome.

Buds are swelling, and the Carolina Jessamine flowers will pop forth soon.

It's not been a good year (so far) for Asian early-bloomers.  Camellias, etc. have not fared well, dropping lots of buds, being frosted, etc. 

The Professor Sargent in front our house is full of brown, frost-bitten flowers at the moment, unlike in previous years.  

Here's what it looked like in 2011.

Professor Sargent camellia, 2011

But the first natives are creeping into sight -- early Trilliums at the SC Botanical Garden have already popped up.

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Signs of spring

The first Carolina Jessamine flowers have opened, both outside my study window and along the front step railing.  Well-expanded flower buds of a single bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) plant near the front path are just waiting for a bright sunny day to open, too.

I imagine that the small patch of Hepatica acutiloba at the Garden might be in flower, too.  What with the continuing rainy weather and more traveling, I haven't had time to check.

Daffodils, early cherries, and Chinese redbuds have all popped over the last few days -- noticeable after coming 'down the hill' from the mountains yesterday.

I've got onion plants (both dormant and ones growing actively) to get in the ground, along with leek offsets (from my perennial leeks) to transplant, too.  The prediction for the weekend is much colder weather, which although seasonal, might not be conducive to planting.  We'll see!

I haven't yet planted peas of any sort -- they're due, too, although they'll catch up quickly, whenever they're planted -- the key to their spring success is a long cool spring -- not a variable (or hot) one!

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Signs of spring

I've been so distracted by other concerns that I've neglected my garden lately. 

We've enjoyed summer green beans (from the chest freezer), roasted tomatoes, too, and even roasted peaches (turned into freezer jam).

A lovely excursion with middle-school students into the Garden (where I work) found us listening to early bird calls and noticing all the early-flowering Asian plants.

Hmm, it looks like another warm winter/early spring -- but, predictions are for much lower temperatures over the weekend. 

So we'll see.

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