It’s officially spring in my neck of the woods, but the temperatures lately have not been consistently warm and spring-like just yet. Spring in New England can be cold, hot, wet, dry… all in the same week. When you love to be outdoors, and are a gardener, the spring season can be a bit frustrating. Yet, when you do start seeing signs of life and color – it’s like looking at nature’s crayon box! There is beauty all over!

I do love having four seasons, but when one season drags on…and on…and on…I don’t like it. I am a person who doesn’t necessarily like change, except when it comes to seasons and weather. Spring is not really my favorite season. There’s so much to do, to clean up, to plant, to get done… indoors and out, at home and work.  Things can start moving so fast. It’s like everyone is making up for the long  winter rest and repose.

It’s that time of activity and bustle that makes me also, at the same time, love spring – when I see the colors come alive after the white and grey of winter. I have never understood rooms, homes, or clothing that has an absence of color – the trend of only black and greys. Do you remember being a kid and opening a big box of new crayons? I loved seeing all those colors just waiting! Nature is that way in spring; it doesn’t disappoint! You just have to take a moment to notice.

I love seeing everything come alive! First, we notice the flowers and blooms everywhere – some are just breathtaking!

Among those blooms and green leaves, the smallest little creatures make their presence known in a colorful way! Most people don’t like insects, thinking only of pests like mosquitos. However, insects outnumber every other living thing on the earth, and keep our ecosystem in balance. We need insects, especially our beneficials, which is why we do not want to spray everything at the first sight of an insect. Most bugs and insects are just “passing through” our yards, anyway.

Next, we hear more and more birds singing, a change from the complete silence that is present in the middle of winter. We also see and hear many different varieties of birds, as migratory birds return. 

Sadly, I read recently that North America has lost one in four birds, or the equivalent of nearly three billion fewer birds.

Planting plants that are native to your area, not using pesticides, and keeping bird baths and feeders clean can help us not to lose more. Also, if you use any systemic-type tick and flea treatments on your dog, avoid combing your dog outside. Baby birds can get sick and die from the residue left on the fur if a mama bird finds it and uses it in her nesting material. Watching and listening to birds in my yard and at my favorite nature trails has always made me happy.

I love when the hummingbirds return! It was so wet, cold and dreary when I *thought* I saw the first little hummer return, the “scout”. It happened so fast, I thought it might have been a leaf blow by, or an insect. Sure enough, it was my little hummingbird, looking to see if I had put up the feeder yet. 

A few days ago, I was sitting at the dining room table, working on a project. The dining room leads out to the “shabby chic porch”. I kept getting distracted by several hummingbirds that kept hovering at the window, like they were looking in. I was puzzled, as the hummingbird feeder is on the other side of the kitchen, and was filled. 

Then I saw it. Last year, I had taken an old, dirty and greasy antique railroad lantern, purchased at a thrift shop for $2.00, and cleaned it up. Once cleaned, I hung it on my “shabby chic porch”. The hummingbirds, mistaking the red glass for another feeder, kept trying to get nectar from it, and when they could not, started buzzing me to fill it. I felt so guilty! Poor little birds. I decided to use it as table decor, instead, and my husband bought me a second hummingbird feeder for Mother’s Day as a replacement. Now when we sit on the porch, we can watch them feed there, as well!

It’s not just in my neck of the woods, that nature is waking up with color and life – my brother’s yard in Texas in the Houston area is full of color, too!

He has lately had a flock of beautiful, green parrots coming to visit his birdfeeder. The story behind them is similar to the story behind ones we see along the coast here. Someone in the 1960’s let a tropical flock of monk parrots loose in Houston, and the birds eventually evolved, and are able to thrive. 

Not every bird we see is bright – some are more stealthy. Do you see it? I took this photo on a walk through my neighborhood. It landed just across from us, but the camouflage was amazing – it took my daughter a few minutes to see it, despite its massive size.

Every day, we notice something new that has bloomed, fresh and green, until all of a sudden, “POP” – spring is here full force. 

Spring is really Earth’s gift to us. 

Tell me, what is spring like in your area? What birds do you have visiting? Leave me a comment, or just say hi!