Signs of Spring

Growing up in Portland spring always meant rain followed by more rain and summer always seemed to come late, with the exception of a summer teaser right near the end of the school year which always made the last weeks drag on longer. I never would have imagined that only 200 miles away would be so different. South Eastern Washington is very desert like. When I moved here people always said “I hope you like four seasons,” Fortunately, I do enjoy the four seasons. After the winter we had spring is a very welcome season. Although it seems to be coming at us a little later than normal.

Fortunately last week we started to have some solid spring weather along with a summer teaser. With sunny days and warm temps up into the 90s the summer creatures started to come out of hibernation. Growing up in the city we never really had (or maybe I just didn’t notice as much) the creatures we get to share our space with. As I was heading to our shop the other day in one of the thin grass spots I spotted this little guy. Lucky for him, I don’t think the dogs spotted him.

Living less than a mile from a wildlife refuge we get to experience all kinds of wildlife visitors. It is quite interesting to see how well some of them can survive the domesticated animals. At some point in April, a killdeer couple decided to lay their eggs in the neighbor’s gravel next to our main road. Fortunately, the eggs were spotted by their daughter and blocked off to prevent them from getting stepped on or driven over. Finding the eggs in itself was pretty amazing as they blended so well with the gravel. So over the month, these birds incubated their eggs. Occasionally the cats would take interest in them, however, the birds did a good job at warding off any threats. I recall approaching the general area of their eggs and the mother got very vocal and active in protecting her babies. I respected her wishes and granted them their space.

The Friday before mothers day all four of their eggs hatched successfully. Later that afternoon the mother was walking her babies across the yard and teaching them to find food. We found it quite amazing that the babies only hours old were able to move about so quickly. The photo above shows these babies only hours old.

In addition to the bonus visitors, spring brings the welcome colors of early blossoms and the flourishing of the winter pansies making one last show before the heat comes along and takes its toll. The bright colors are so refreshing after a long winter of grey and white, but along with the fresh growth of spring, we get a reminder of the work that needs to be done before the heat of the summer blows in. In the meantime, we will enjoy the new beauty of the new season while we clean up the unwanted growth of weeds and prepare to plant the new season of vegetables and flowers.