The unfolding of spring
I love spring! It is the season of renewal and rebirth in our gardens and forests.
Because of a warmer than normal winter weather pattern, a lot of spring growth has already begun and more advanced than last year. Stunning pink and white Magnolia trees fill many yards across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Spared from frost and freeze, the colors this year are truly spectacular.
Add to this the white blooms of the Bradford pear and the tons of yellow daffodils and forsythia and we are off to a great start. There is, however, a bit of concern about a cold snap predicted for the first days of April that could be a bit of a problem, but the early matinee of color has been a real treat.
In our woods and forests, Mother Nature is also busy preparing for this year’s show as wildflowers begin their push through the leaf litter and bring color to the forest floor. Already white and pink spring beauties carpet some of the leafy ground and if you look closely you can see white blood root and lavender hepatica tucked into their favored growing spots. Just under the leafy groundcover is a whole host of additional wildflowers preparing for their time on stage. Trillium are already poking through and in a short time entire hillsides will see the explosion of white and red flowers dancing and swaying in the breeze. Wetter areas are favored by the annual visit of skunk cabbage. Look inside and you can actually see a flower tucked in the center of the unfurling leaves.
As the show goes on, later in April will come my favorite, the Virginia blue bells along with the purple flocks and white and blue, blue-eyed Mary’s. The woods are just filled with surprises and every hike brings some new treasure. By May, our search includes the hunt for the elusive wild orchids and, as luck would have it, my wife Diane, who has been the wildflower chair person for the National Garden Clubs, found a few wild orchids right in our yard. What a thrill to spend time together hunting wildflowers. We have been to the western deserts, the Everglades, the Rockies, as well as many of the states in between. It is always special and if you come back a week later the whole landscape has changed.