Although the year is divided into four neat segments, there are many seasons within seasons and winter is no exception. Many people would like to skip over winter altogether, but it’s the one season when we’re most likely to appreciate those subtle natural shifts and awakenings taking place around us. Today on my walk I noted some of these interseasonal changes due to the unusually warm temperatures we’re experiencing this week in the Northeast. With the snow and ice leftover from our last storm furiously melting, I found some photo opportunities that otherwise might have been missed.
It’s hard for me to resist taking photos of the mill pond next to our property; no matter what the season, it’s always captivating! There are still large chunks of bluish ice, but you can see that water is flowing freely over the little waterfall and rushing to fill the pond below. In the foreground, red maple buds are already swelling with life, reminding us that spring can’t be far away.
Rhododendron buds are also getting fat in anticipation of their May blooming, while in the still sleeping perennial garden, clumps of Irish moss appear once again between the stepping stones, sporting straggly coats of bright Kelly green. In the warmer weeks ahead this moss will spread to fill in any gaps, creating a lush carpet underfoot.
I can hear more rushing water as I stroll by another small stream weaving its way into the woods. There’s another sound, too, breaking the winter silence. The birds, awakening from the cold, are singing and flitting from tree to tree. They simply cannot contain their happiness over the spring-like warmth and are celebrating their good fortune!
It’s only early February but there are already many signs of the earth awakening and readying itself for the coming of spring. Now that I’m retired I have the time to enjoy these seasonal changes on a weekly, if not daily, basis. There is always something in the natural world to take note of and be astounded by, all of those tiny changes that move us quietly but steadily onward.
Lichen is one of those amazing life forms that moves so secretly and slowly that few take notice, yet its many forms and colors create natural works of great beauty; the ubiquitous rock walls of my native Massachusetts are liberally covered with them. One can easily miss this in other seasons, but in the starkness of winter, any green growth begs our attention and reminds us that life goes on.
In the meteorological world, spring begins on March 1st. The few short weeks between February and March bring about great changes as the earth prepares once again for rebirth. By getting outdoors and taking the time to observe the natural world around us, we can find those seasons within seasons and take joy in witnessing the wondrous awakenings of life!
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