Monday, February 8, 2010

looking for spring




confederate rose



Still cold out, still overcast and the wind is still from the north but I was out looking for some signs of spring this weekend on our one warm(er) blue sky day Saturday.  I used the nice day to prune back all the dead foliage and branches from the things that froze to the ground during our arctic blast last month.  So many things are gone now...the hummingbird bush, the yellow bells, the ginger.  Both clumps of butterfly iris are gone and I don’t think they will be back.  Worst of all is my confederate rose which was easily 10’ tall.  Scraping a little nick in the trunks with my fingernail, I finally found some green about an inch above the ground.

I had intended to prune the roses back, conventional wisdom being February 14th.  It was already too late really.  They have come out robustly and I even saw a small bud or two forming.  With so many other things gone out of the landscape, I decided to let the roses be.


There were some small signs like the ground orchids emerging


and this small clump of daffodils sprung up from one week to the next.



The rogue peach tree had a few flowers open and was busting with ripening buds.


The mock orange has tiny little green leaves emerging on delicate thin stems.


The birds are getting all stirred up.  The male cardinals have been singing, the mockingbird is staking out territory, two little birds were having a mid-air battle, thumping chests and pecking.  Some new little birds have shown up, migrating from futher south, but I haven’t been able to identify them.  It’s lively out here in the mornings.

16 comments:

  1. I told Dr. M yesterday that for some reason all the snow we're getting is making me realize how much I'll enjoy spring when it comes. In years past I haven't paid that much attention - other than wearing different clothes & noticing a flower or two. Now that I'm taking these pictures every day I think that spring will be a constant revelation - I can't wait!

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  2. Our birds are as worked up as yours, because it's That Time of Year ... time to start building nests.

    But looking at your beautiful early early spring pictures is very surreal. I know it'll happen, but right now I might as well be living above the Arctic Circle, or so it appears, outside.

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  3. All thoughts of Spring are lying dormant under the new layer of snow we got last night. Love your pictures!

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  4. You won't find Spring here ... 33 degrees today, with 6-12 inches of snow predicted Wednesday!

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  5. The birds getting stirred up is a good thing though right? They're not messing up your sleep I hope.

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  6. I love seeing the green poking its head through... I miss seasons!

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  7. Oh baby, ya got me itchin' for some spring! Right now the Ozarks is under a blanket of snow that just keeps gettin' deeper. So I'm just gonna have to wait it out! Heeeheehed!

    Ya'll have a greatly blessed day from the snowy hills and hollers of the Missouri Ponderosa!!!

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  8. Oh my!! Those green shoots and buds have me wanting spring right now! And here I am with 16 inches of snow and nothing green around for miles. Drats! Come on spring!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  9. WOw, those are BIG signs. After the temps plummeting last week I'm surprised those greens were coaxed out of the ground and from the branches, but something mystical happens no matter what I guess, and life keeps going in a forward motion, like it has since who knows when. Very encouraging!

    Lots of birdsong is so cheerful. We are getting a few baby squirrels into the Center and are preparing for the onslaught of baby birds and opossum in a month or so.

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  10. Oh my, how lucky you are. We have another 2 months of winter up here. Although with global warming everything is changing.

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  11. So that's what ground looks like. I'd forgotten. There's too much SNOW here. :)

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  12. It's nice to see your green down there. I know it's been a hard winter for you.

    We are just about to be pounded with a storm something like the Atlantic seaboard just got, though not to that degree thank goodness. And we have more equipment and psychology to deal with it. But what would winter be without another big storm!

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  13. We are at this mintue getting a new white blanket to cover the "dirty" one from the weekend. It's all good. we for the most part are use to the changing seasons. I enjoy it, although I get frustrated. Particullarly with the idiots that refuse to clear snow off their car, drive 10mph and are hazzardous to everyone...BUT, I like to think, this will all only make spring more welcomed and appreciated. Love Janis From Indiana!

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  14. Sigh.. I'm envious. Spring happens early in your area.

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  15. Those greens sprouting from the ground looks great.

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  16. At this point, I would like to see any sign of spring I could. Unfortunately, we're still in the teens, temperature wise, most nights.

    And we're currently under about 6 inches of snow with another storm expected to hit tomorrow night.

    It's never-ending. I'm officially tired of winter now. :)

    Spring can't come fast enough...

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