indefatigable spring

today was ice out on my lake! a huge spring milestone for minnesotans. while low temps, late snows, and gray skies have gotten us all a little crabby, nature has been quietly doing its thing anyway. here’s what’s been going on: the migrating birds have returned, the hibernating insects and reptiles have awakened, the snow has melted, the ground has thawed, the ponds have swollen, frogs are calling for mates, crocuses are up, the sap is running, the bubs are swelling, and the early catkins are staring to release their pollen to the wind.

coming soon, we can expect: magnolias and forsythia bloom, migrating butterflies and dragonflies return, birds and waterfowl start laying eggs, catkins continue their show (maple, birch, aspen, and finally oaks), springs ephemerals start to the woodland floor (hepatica is first), ramps appear, fiddleheads unfurl, and finally new leaves being greening everything. apple blossom and lilacs are still a month away. it all happens very fast here in the north. it’s quite a show.

pussy willow in spring rain