First Signs

Everyone has something they look for as The sign of spring.  For many it's the first robin hopping across their lawn.  For others it might be the first frog calling.  Others look for certain flowers - crocus, snowdrop, aconite.  I guess I look for all those and more.  I learned some years ago that robins are resident year round in our area.  Maybe not the same robins all year, but if you know where to look you can find them here 12 months of the year.  Winter robins retreat to woodlands and swampy areas rich in berries and other winter fare.  Still,when they venture out into open areas, lawns and fields searching for worms then I know we have reached a spring milestone.  The true migrants that I watch for are common grackles and red winged blackbirds.  These noisy members of the Icterid tribe do not, as a rule, spend the winter here, something I find a little surprising.  Considering the fact the thrushes like robins and bluebirds spend the winter here, I don't understand why hardy seed eaters like these blackbirds have not established a more northern range.  I'm sure there is a good explanation somewhere.  Regardless, the grackles' chases back and forth and the red wings' loud call testify to another spring milestone.  I heard chorus frogs calling for the first time this afternoon.  Spring peepers can't be far behind.  Both of these tiny tree frogs will begin calling while there is still snow and ice present in and around their vernal pools.  How amazing is it that these tiny amphibians can become active, even begin courting, when the water they live in is barely above freezing.  Yet their creaking and piping become the soundtrack of early spring nights and mornings.  That first evening (or morning) when I hear the local frogs calling from the as yet undiscovered ponds across the street from my house is another milestone.  I heard my first woodcock of the spring this week as well.  Along with mystery ponds across the road there is also woodcock habitat.  This means there must be an open area surrounded by brush.  I don't know how big the open area needs to be.  Every year I hear the woodcocks engaged in their amazing courtship display.  I don't always hear the ground portion of the display with the sad little peenting call, but I hear the aerial display with its twittering and chirping.  Woodcocks embraced twitter long before it became a social media.  Rather than a spring flower I watch for the maple and elm buds to begin to swell.  The red maples in my neighborhood are a sure sign that the soil has received enough solar energy for the trees to begin new growth.  The elm buds swell right along with the maples, but their dark brown doesn't stand out like the scarlet maple buds.  Their wind borne pollens, however, coat the cars and puddles and my sinuses with a dull gold. In my garden the first signs of new life come in the form of chive shoots.  I was thrilled to see signs of life in my small potted native plants.  Rattlesnake plantain and spirea alba are both putting out new growth.  I can't wait to see if the seeds I planted last fall germinate this spring after stratifying all winter under the snow.