As Spring moves North #phenology

According to Nature's Notebook, as of March 3:

Spring leaf out has arrived in southern states. Spring arrived on time to one week late in Florida and southern Texas, was one-two weeks early in the middle and northern part of Southeast states, and has since slowed and is a few days late in Georgia and the Carolinas. Spring is days to weeks early in parts of the Southwest and West coast. 

The Journey North website has identified first sighting of red-winged blackbirds in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Monarch butterflies and ruby-throated hummingbirds are still down around the southern extremes of the US.

red-winged blackbird, late March

Photo by J. Harrington

As we walked our dog at mid-day today we heard what almost sounded like a blackbird's rusty door hinge call but is more likely attributable to wishful thinking. The earliest we have a picture of a red-winged blackbird is the third week of March. We have seen reports this morning of snow geese over Iowa City and sandhill cranes returning North in Illinois, but neither has, as far as we can tell, advanced to our North Country yet.

A Psyche of Spring 

George Marion McClellan - 1860-

Thou gaily painted butterfly, exquisite thing, 
    A child of light and blending rainbow hues,
In loveliness a Psyche of the Spring,
   Companion for the rose and diamond dews;
'Tis thine, in sportive joy, from hour to hour, 
    To ride the breeze from flower to flower.


But thou wast once a worm of hueless dye.
   Now, seeing thee, gay thing, afloat in bliss,
I take new hope in thoughts of bye and bye,
   When I, as thou, have shed my chrysalis.
I dream now of eternal springs of light
   In which, as thou, I too may have my flight. 

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