Under Trees

They say March is full of windy days that are ravaged and spent until all that is left is the gentleness of a lamb, but I think March laughed at whose ever lips those words were uttered so cluelessly and proceeded to do whatever it pleased from then on.

  

One never knows when March will begin as gentle as a lamb, shoot up to sheepsize breezes in two weeks flat, eventually stampeding over the clift in a whirlwind of frenzy into April.  The old sayings don't seem to matter much in these days of uncertainty.

What about the Marches that are so confused, one feels the ups and downs of a bumpy ride on a teeter totter, venturing back and forth between tranquility and madness.  The certainties of olden days are no where to be found.

I like the little poem below that I think was written for children, but it resonates with this adult as well.  Months are a gift to be accepted and loved, then let go to make way for the next gift.  It is a lovely sentiment of the ways of nature.

Twelve Months in a Row

    by Annette Wynne

Twelve months in a row,

Use them well and let them go;

Welcome them without a fear,

Let them go without a tear—

Twelve months in a year;

Greet the passing miracle,

Spring and summer beautiful,

Autumn, winter, gliding on,

Glorious seasons quickly gone—

God's treasures in a row,

Take them, love them, let them go!

The first signs of spring here are when the Spring Ephemerals make their appearances.   They are rhizomes, corms, bulbs, or fleshy roots that can often begin life as a seed.  Two distinct growth phases usually exist: epigeous (above ground) and hypogeous (below ground).  

The hypogeous phase of growth takes place throughout fall and winter. This is the phase in which the plants put out more roots and develop next season's buds.  In the epigeous phase they emerge early to take advantage of the sunlight that penetrates the bare branches of the deciduous woodland, then flower and fruit, and die back down to the ground entering again into the hypogeous phase of life.

The amount of time above ground can be as little as a month or two, while a few species leaves last until the middle of summer.

The native spring ephemerals in this garden are as follows:

    Virginis Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

    Eastern Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia)

    Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) (only one plant)

    Trilliums 

    Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) (has never bloomed)

    Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Eastern Shooting Stars with flower buds

Virginis Bluebells

 Trilliums hidden by woody stems of Coralberry

Native wild violets, a perennial, with white flowers that have a purple center called Viola sororia f. priceana, are blooming in the shade beneath the tall juniper tree.  After their short blooming period, the leaves will last all summer if the ground beneath them doesn't dry out.  

Native violets feed numerous native bees and play larval host to many fritillary species of butterflies.  They are cherished, and the sight of them as spring arrives warms my heart greatly.  It is not spring until they have announced it.  Such a sentimental feeling, but I love the tenderness of it all... don't you?

Celandine Poppy (above)

*

Wild Violets (below) 

Spicebush flowers

They are very small flowers.

White Ash Tree

Leafs out later in spring.

American Dogwood Tree

that grew on its own under the ash tree.

Small green bracts that will eventually get bigger and turn white.

The flower buds are in the center of the bracts.

Non-native spring ephemerals

'Little Beauty' species tulip

and the Asian Bleeding Hearts 

Male Midge Fly with feather antennae

American Robin

Photos taken from front window.

Austin on his perch trying not to nod off.

We had to hang Acopian BirdSavers 

on the outside of the front windows and stormdoor

to prevent bird strikes (Mourning Doves, Grackles, and Cardinals).

Charlotte on Austin's perch after dinner.

Almost sharing, but Charlotte won't budge.

I've been listening to the music of Bernward Koch, "Gentle Spirit" as inspiration for this writing, as without the softness of spirited music on a gentle breeze, time seems to stagnate within this head and creativeness seems to wither into the depths of winter.  Much better to feed the soul.  Don't you agree?

I will leave you to embrace the beginnings of the abundance of spring, as it is it's nature to eventually burst at the seams with a flush of green and all the colors of the artist's pallet.  How wonderful it will be to enjoy all this after winter finally makes its exit after a few teases of the future.

As for myself, husband just gifted me a chocolate crossant from a little French bakery we discovered hidden in a group of little shops across town, and a cup of steaming Irish Breakfast Tea, so I'm in heaven at this moment.  Stay inquisitive, for it's how wonderful memories may be made, and they are such grand things to look back upon with fondness.

Happy Spring!

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Saturday's Critters

My Corner of the World