Sharon March 10th, 2010
As the planet revolves around our sun, we have traditionally four seasons, but they are not neatly divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter. As each change approaches they tend to overlap.
For many years I have made notes on bird sightings, wildflower emergence and weather among other things. According to my notes, the second week of March, just as we reach the spring equinox, is full of evidence of overlapping winter and spring. Some of the comments:
The first peeking sires of goldenclubs sighted - 2008
Major Winter storm: winds 50mph, rain, flooding & snow (white hurricane) The Pocomoke Bridge is closed, Leifer trail impassable, many fields flooded beyond what I’ve seen before. - 1993
New holes in a row on a large loblolly pine, probably a sapsucker, the sap was beginning to drip from them. - 1993
Late spring frost, a pair of flickers together on the ground, almost invisible against the leaves, freshly painted black bibs and eyebands, face golden rose in early morning sunshine. Nearby a downy woodpecker walks up the treetrunk. - 1991
Tiny leaves of swamp violets emerging in the swamp. - 2008
Sharon February 12th, 2010
The snowstorms of February 2010 will not be easily forgotten! The Eastern Shore, being near the coastal Gulf Stream, does not get as intensive winter storms as farther inland, but there was still significant snowfall in the forest.
The holly trees, having their leaves throughout the winter, are weighted down with the heavy, wet snow and ice. The trees are flexible and not so easily broken as some, but the snow bends the branches low, sometimes near the ground. The thick leaves offer protection to the small birds looking for a place to keep warm in the cold winds and small insects or cocooning caterpillars provide some winter food.
The snowstorms alternated with rain and sleet so that the low places in the woods were saturated. Some of these low boggy areas stayed clear of the snow. Possibly the dark soil helped to melt the snow or the ground water was warm enough to keep the surface from freezing. When the sun came out there were many robins, chipping sparrows and other birds visiting the wet open ground for a drink of water or perhaps to find small grubs and insects.
The snows are beautiful in the forest with lacy snow-covered branches and, when the sun finally came out, interesting shadow colors and shapes on the snow. After this stormy winter all of nature is looking forward to the coming spring!
Sharon January 15th, 2010
Amazingly there are flowers blooming in the forest in January. A light snow makes the skunk cabbages easier to find. They have the unusual ability to raise their internal temperature up to 7 degrees higher than the outside air so can actually melt their way through a light snow!
These strangely shaped purple or green striped flowers are related to the Jack-in-the-Pulpit flowers that bloom later in the spring. Unlike their taller relatives, these flowers have a distinct, skunk-like odor, especially when they are stepped on. Perhaps the odor is related to their heat-creating characteristics but the fetid smell does attract the small grubs and bugs that will fertilize the bulb-like flower inside the more colorful spathe that is their sculptural shape.
