Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 7, 1993 TAG: 9303040236
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Patricia Held
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
LOOK CLOSELY: MUCH IS WARMING UP
While it seems that the groundhog was right and we are enjoying six more weeks of winter, there are already signs of springtime. Just take a look. There are plenty of signs of the season to come.Despite the raw and windy weather, every new shoot and swollen bud is just more evidence that spring is almost here. Nature's own weather forecasters are far more reliable than our own and seem to know better than most about our changing seasons.
The few weeks just before the official arrival of spring is almost a season of its own. The trees are still bare, but the sun is warm. While it can be frosty cold one day, the next can be uncomfortably warm. One day ice and sleet transform the area into a frozen paradise, and then a sudden warm spell brings about a thaw.
In the next few weeks, during this special season, watch for these events that herald in the spring season.
Birds know instinctively that better times are on the way. The great horned owl has already established its breeding territory and is on its nest. By now some may even be caring for their young. Watch right now as the bluebirds and wood ducks inspect nest boxes to find suitable nest sites. Listen for the "kong-ka-ree" calls of the male red-winged blackbirds as they proclaim that this is their territory and all other male blackbirds should stay away.
While the junco and white-throated sparrow are preparing to leave us and move to their breeding territories, other birds are returning from their winter stay in the South. Within a couple of weeks the ospreys should be back as well as our purple martins. Now is the time to make sure that their houses are in move-in condition.
Any day now I expect to hear the full chorus of the spring peepers, tiny tree frogs that annually herald the first days of spring. Watch for salamanders under logs and rocks as they awaken during early thaws. This is their season to find a mate and breed.
The thaw and sudden rains awaken earthworms that lay well beneath the frostline.
Other animals also become active as the season progresses. Watch for groundhogs sunning themselves despite their prediction of six more weeks of winter. Foxes are running in braces, moles are tunneling through the thawing ground, and horses start to shed their winter coats.
Meanwhile the days become longer. Since the leaves have not yet unfurled to blot out the sun's rays the woodland floor is slowly warmed. This gradual heat is just enough to cause a sudden stir of life.
Plants begin to appear. The crocuses have already begun to bloom in our gardens, and daffodils are sprouting up from the ground. In our wet areas the skunk cabbage is beginning to blossom.
Over the next few weeks watch for the red maple blossoms followed by forsythia and spicebush. By late March the flowering peach, redbud and dogwood are beginning to transform our woodlands into a springtime paradise. On the forest floor look for the may apples, bluets and bloodroot and in the fields enjoy the golden color of wild mustard and purple grape hyacinths. All the spring blossoms rush to bloom before the leaves open on the trees to blot out the sunlight.
This is a time of intense activity. Everything is happening at once. It's a wonderful time to be outdoors. Go out and look for the groundhogs, listen for the spring peepers and watch the redbuds bloom.
\ AUTHOR Patricia Held is a Bedford County free-lance writer and author specializing in natural history.