Spring Eternal

Spring beauty, indeed

Flowers have returned. In January when our bodies are convinced winter will last forever, we wrap ourselves in blankets and pour over seed catalogs, watch garden TV, and suspect spring will never arrive.

Boxwood blooming away

By March, my little patch of the planet stretches, yawns, and goes about the creaky business of waking up. I had bees in the snowdrops in February, puzzled and so very hungry. Now, Spiders cautiously scurry in the leaf litter. The big boxwood buzzes slightly with all kinds of insects seeking pollen and nectar. The snowdrops have started to set seed. The early crocus already have finished. Daffodils nod peacefully in the back border, the Cornus mas is blooming yellow, and my sharp-lobed hepatica turns to the sun. The hellebores have bulked up enough to make the dog walkers pause and take notice. The maples are blooming and buds are fattening everywhere.

Sharp-lobed hepatica reaching for sun

Each day brings new discoveries as I perambulate the estate, drinking in the fine wine of blooming witch hazel. Sparrows are pulling milkweed floss from the overwintered pods for perhaps the softest nests. Robins and the cardinal couple are marking off territories. Mourning doves are nesting in the fir tree.

And so spring returns. Perhaps a little more rambunctious this year after a mild winter. The spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) I planted is blooming for the first time. The Hope for Humanity rose is the first one to unfurl baby soft leaves. Life continues one tiny step at a time.