The legislature is back in session today. Political party precinct caucuses occur tomorrow, despite the fact that Minnesota's legislative districts haven’t been finalized for this year’s election and you can only vote if you attend in person. So, since politics is making even less sense than usual, let’s consider something else.
February, which begins tomorrow, is often a month when we get to enjoy some awesomely beautiful hoar frost. Some Februarys we get an early thaw and geese and swans are back on local waters by midmonth. Red osier dogwood brightens its color sometime during the month, enhancing the liveliness of our marshes and wetlands.
We begin February with 9 hours and 46 minutes of daylight and, by month’s end, we’ve gained about an hour and 20 minutes of daylight, enjoying 11 hours and 6 minutes on the 28th. Normal high temperatures start the month at 24℉ and climb to 34℉ as we enter March. Since March 1 is the start of meteorological spring, we can claim that February is truly the month that usually turns winter into spring.
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| February: crows watching winter pass
Photo by J. Harrington
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February is also Black History Month, the month we celebrate Lunar New Year on the `1st, Groundhog Day on the 2nd, Valentine’s Day on the 14th, and President’s Day on the 21st. During the month, we can look for the arrival of some songbird migrants and, if we’re lucky, the arrival of sandhill cranes. The full moon in February occurs on the 16th.
Over the land freckled with snow half-thawed
The speculating rooks at their nests cawed
And saw from elm-tops, delicate as flowers of grass,
What we below could not see, Winter pass.
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Please be kind to each other while you can.
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