For those who do not live in New England, I can tell you that spring is a rare commodity here. In Connecticut, we have had precisely two real springs in the last twenty years and the spring of 2010 is one. The usual scenario is cool and damp through mid-June and than hot and humid overnight. So when we do get a real spring, we really savor it. 

 

As I write this it is 6:00am on a Friday morning in late April. According to our local weather prognosticators, we should have temps in the low 70’s today and the 80’s on Saturday and Sunday. Joy, my fiancée, and I are very tuned into the wildlife and growing things. With 200 acres of woodland behind our Old Lyme home and another 400 in front, we do get our share of birds and animals. 

 

 

The excitement this week was definitely the return of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. Last year we had four feeders out and counted as many as 12 of these beautiful little birds at one time. And boy do they put on a show! For those who do not know, these hummingbirds are territorial and very aggressive. They are constantly bullying each other and chasing all over the yard. We have a large awning over one level of our deck and these tiny little rockets will fly right through and will sometimes stop and hover right in front of our faces as if to say “Hello and thanks for the food”! Another of our wonderful feathered friends that visited us this week was a Barred Owl – fairly small so probably a male. He was here for around a half hour and kept going from tree to tree – probably looking for one of our many Chipmunks. He was finally chased away by several Blue Jays. We have also been entertained by a pair of nesting Red Shouldered Hawks. To round off the day, our local Opossum wandered through the yard right after dark to eat his fill of the spilt birdseed. We suspect that he has taken up residence under our deck.

 

 

And of course, the other big spring bonus is the flowers. Joy has planted at least 2000 daffodil and tulip bulbs on our property so far and is enthusiastically planning to put in at least a thousand more this fall – that’s what happens when you have a big piece of land – things tend to get out of hand! To add even more color to the spring pageant, we are having a spectacular year for the flowering trees especially the dogwoods and cherries. And of course, spring would not be complete without fresh asparagus right out of your own garden. We cut ours for the first time this year – ah, nectar of the gods!

 

So, in closing, take some time away from your busy day to get outside and really appreciate this beautiful spring weather – who knows, it may be the last for many years!