First wildflowers of 2011
Our hillsides are shaded
and cool and still flower-free, but I had a feeling that our recent
warm spell had tempted out the early spring
ephemerals at the sunnier Sugar Hill.
The hepatica was in full
bloom, and two beetles were checking out one flower's stamens. I
guess I know who's out pollinating at this time of year.
On the drive to town, we
saw two weeping willows starting to leaf out, and Sugar Hill's buckeyes
were also unfurling their leaves. I'd never seen a sprouting
buckeye before --- beautiful, isn't it? Since buckeye leaves are
easily nipped by heavy frosts, I guess that's one more vote for an
early spring.
No photos, but I also
saw the year's first Spring Azure butterflies. These weren't the
first butterflies of the year, though --- Mourning Cloaks, Commas, and
Question Marks were already out flying in last week's warmth.
If you live in our area
or further south, now's a great time to head out and see spring in
action!
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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