As the days get warmer and the chances of an overnight frost decrease, I find myself gravitating to my backyard garden more often than not. I am well aware that come July/August I’ll be kicking myself for planting way more veggies than I have the motivation to care for, but for now I’m dreaming big!
We always account for a ~20% wildlife tax on the fruit/vegetables we grow (I’m looking at you, chipmunks and rabbits) so it’s good to plant more than you need if you have the room. Anyway, if you were to take a break from veggie garden dreaming, here are some things you could find out in nature right now!
Spring beauty in bloom
Right now, some of the loveliest spring ephemeral plants are in full display. Mayapples are unfurling in great numbers, spring beauty is in full bloom, and Dutchman’s breeches are hanging out to dry! It’s a lovely time to be outside!
Head out to a local green space near you, and you might also find plants like wild ginger, Virginia bluebell, trout lily, bloodroot, and false rue anemone. These early spring flowers take the spotlight before the trees begin to leaf out. It’s important to head out now though, because their blooming window is usually short and you don’t want to miss them!
Maple samara sprouting
If you’ve ever gardened even remotely close to a maple tree, the photo above probably gives you some anxiety. These “whirlybirds” or “helicopters” are the little seeds that floated down from maple trees last summer and fall. All winter they rested wherever they landed, but now they’re coming back to life.
Every day I uproot at least a dozen of these in an effort to prevent my yard from becoming a maple forest, but as frustrating as they can be, they’re pretty darn cool. Their ability to disperse seeds like mini helicopters and set root wherever they land (I’ve seen them emerging from the cracks of the sidewalk) is remarkable, and without them we wouldn’t have maple syrup!
Sandhill crane
While I most definitely have plants on the brain right now, I couldn’t write a nature update without mentioning all of the birds that have migrated back. Sandhill cranes have begun pairing up and building nests, yellow-rumped warblers can be seen flitting about overhead, and pods of pelicans are loafing around in the water. Pair that with all of the frogs chirping, and it’s finally starting to look and sound like spring!
Well, that’s all for this month! It’s easy to find cool things in nature—you just need to get outside! I hope you make time to do so yourself, and I’ll see you next month for another nature update.