Spring in Washington?

Jim McKenney jamesamckenney@verizon.net
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 15:57:22 PST
Earlier this week we had two nights of overnight lows with hard freezes: the open flowers of Magnolia stellata were destroyed but many buds survived. Spring peepers (little frogs) were heard two weeks ago, but the big choruses have yet to start. They might tonight - it's raining and warmish, ideal conditions for the little frogs to make their way to the vernal pools where they breed. A mourning cloak butterfly was seen this morning, and the resident garter snake was sunning itself about a yard over the ground in a dense Jasminum nudiflorum. Snowdrops are nearing the end of their season as are the tommies. The rain, if heavy, will probably finish off the tommies. Thousands of tommies have been blooming during the last two weeks - and I have not seen one bee visiting them.  Cyclamen coum and its relatives are blooming freely now. Iris unguicularis and I. cretica have been blooming continuously for at least two months, and they were joined this week by Iris lazica. I sleep with a window open in order to be able to hear the morning bird song. Those of you who are birders probably know Louis Halle's book, Spring in Washington. Now's a great time to read it again - or for those of you who don't know it, for the first time. Jim McKenneyMontgomery County Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where if the rain is sufficient, the ground should erupt soon in the next wave of late winter bloom. 


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