During this Covid-19 pandemic we have spent many mornings on our unheated, eastern exposure porch, with our cup of coffee/tea and have enjoyed watching the slow progression of nature awakening from its winter sleep, thanks to the sun's spring strengthening power.
The plants and birds and small mammals that live outdoors are all in tune with the sun. They respond every year to its growing warmth. The trees bud, some pushing off withered dried leaves from last season, others form a black bulb on their branch tips like the ash tree. And each variety of tree all know when to open up in unison, like the magnolias opened up before the dogwoods and the maples before the ash trees.
Perennial plants/flowers start to push out of the ground reaching towards the sun, they too all wake in their own time sequence. Snowdrops, then crocuses, then hyacinths, then daffodils, now I see the iris are showing flower heads as the lily of the valleys are an inch out of the ground.
Cactus in our yard have awakened after looking like a shriveled piece of lifeless leather. They are now filling with life and lifting off the ground towards the sun.
We have smelled skunk a few times this season. And I have spotted a possum below our bird feeder late a night.
Birds have returned to stake out their territories for raising a family. Robins can be seen looking for earthworms in our front yard and today there were 2 adults fly at each other in a spiral territorial dance. A male and female cardinal can be seen feeding together on the ground. A song sparrow has returned to his spot in our front tree calling out his song every morning in hopes of attracting his mate.And this morning we saw the bright colored yellow appearing on the feathers of male gold finches.
Yes this shelter at home time has been hard, but it has offered up an opportunity to watch the slow progression of the sun's power in waking up nature from its long winter's sleep.
(photos of cactus in winter sleep and awakening with Spring Sun)
