Tuesday, April 27, 2021

That Special Spring

This season of new bud and bloom is way too short for most of us.  Everything about it is fragile and lacey and delicate and ephemeral.  The spring flowers are mostly pastel and transparent.  They hang on to their petals for just a week or so before rain or wind causes them to fall.  If they are more resilient the big bumblers stomp and chomp their way inside causing petals to drop.





The netted male oak flowers called catkins hang drooping and dispensing tiny yellow pollen.  They eventually fall covering patios and porches in wilted flower casings.  From the tiniest of female flowers that catch that pollen that vastness of an oak tree can emerge to tower over us all and remain to watch our grandchildren's children play.


The sunsets are later and can be enjoyed at a more leisurely pace since the cold breeze is gone.  The evenings are stiller and I can hear the call (purr) of the screech owl down in the ravine during the bedtime hour.


The bird-song is abundant but graceful as they declare their territory and call to their mates and pick their nesting sights.  They move swiftly with sticks and leaves and grasses once the perfect home has been found.  My friend told me a story the other day about her bluebird project.  She had tried to get out early on her trails to check the boxes and replace those that had been damaged by storms and age but unusually cold and rainy weather had delayed her.  When she finally set out, she found one of the old boxes already had a bluebird nest.  The mother had flown off the eggs when she checked.  She carefully took down the box and rotted post and put up a new post with a new birdhouse.  She then carefully moved the old nest with eggs inside the new box.  She waited and watched.  In due time, the mother bluebird returned and settled on the nest!  The father returned to stand watch!  

Now you can have fun posting below the conversation you think they were having...

11 comments:

  1. Yay for bluebirds & your friend!
    Beautiful description of Spring

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  2. I think they were talking about who hired the maid.

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  3. I love your description of spring. It's like that here too. I love it.
    "I guess we won the makeover for bird houses!"

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  4. We are fortunate to have all kinds of pleasures in spring.

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  5. I imagine the parents need a break and fill each other in on who they saw at the pub.

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  6. So much beauty, and you are right, it's ephemeral.

    Your friend is a birding hero.

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  7. We monitor our bluebird trail very carefully. Very rarely a botfly infestation in a nest box gets so serious it threatens the continued existence of the young and I have taken out an entire nest, cleaned the box, constructed the crudest facsimile of a new nest and placed the young back inside their new clean home, and the parents have resumed feeding without hesitation. Now that's parental care and dedication. Some humans could profit by emulating it.

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  8. spring is moving northwards. she hasn't left here quite yet but she's packing her bags.

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  9. Sleep does do wonders. You sound great.

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  10. Second pix of the flowers are beautiful, wonder what they are called? Following your ramblings and beautiful pictures of Spring.

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  11. The birds are saying "We have had the world to ourselves for a year and now the humans are out again disturbing us."

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Glad to hear from you once again. I really like these visits. Come sit on this log and tell me what you are thinking.