On the Trails: Springtime

[mouakter13]

The last part of March seemed to pass slowly, at least for those of use impatient for spring. Each of us has their own sequence of observations for the arrival of spring, depending on their interests and where they walked. But here is how spring came along for me in March.

There were some lovely sunny days (and chilly nights) and the signs of a coming season were there. The crocuses at the arboretum drew visits from bumblebee queens, who burrowed deep into the flowers for nectar and also sampled the pollen from the stamens. They also went to the butterbur inflorescences near the entrance; this species is related our local coltsfoot. It would be interesting to know just how each bee times her spring emergence from hibernation. Rising soil temperature country wise email marketing list around the underground winter nest must be part of the stimulus, but body condition also matters. Those that weigh less than expected for their size are in poor condition, and they tend to emerge early. Bigger queens can store more fat than small ones and use it more slowly, so they can stay underground longer. Small ones deplete their resources sooner and may often emerge ahead of the big ones.

A little squadron of bufflehead on the river near the wetlands held several males in full array and feeling feisty, but the accompanying females seemed unimpressed. Out past Nugget Falls, hundreds of gulls gathered on the cliffs and out on the lake ice. In the strawberry fields at Eagle Beach, there were a few very new leaves just emerging. Devil’s club buds were just emerging from the tips of the stalks, particularly in places exposed to sun. Red-breasted sapsucker drummed and occasionally called in several places.