Out this evening for a lovely twilight walk in through the NE Gate. The sky was calm and the air still held the springtime warmth of the day. I crossed over the Wash and paused at the eastern end of the northern ridge trail. I noticed the soft green verdure that has begun to grow in only the past two days, all across the base of the south facing ridge. The almost 80 F of the past three days has the low ground cover honeysuckle across the Woods beginning to open. The raised honeysuckle vines climbing up 2 and 3 feet above the ground have had green leaves out since late January. Standing by the East Pond and looking east, I see the green flush of the taller elms, the first of the trees to begin their season's growth. Although, looking up into the top branches of the Grandfather cottonwood I can see green buds swelling open there too.
With the forecast rain later this week and the warmth of the past 3-4 days, spring is about to let loose.
Ten days ago on Feb 26 Tim and I were measuring and mapping trees and saw (my first) returning turkey vulture of the year. [Thoughts of intensifying a small 100m x 100 m block in the tree loop with identification of every tree over 10 cm DBH.]
Yesterday I sat for a peaceful half hour after dark in the Woods, enjoying the bright gibbous moon and bright Venus and Mars.. and this morning discovered my first tick of the year.
This evening walking in the Woods I also felt the first brush of two bits of gossamer - the first strands of spider silk across a trail.
The Woods are on the cusp of another season of life.
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