A Quick Spring Preview

Warmer temperatures and overnight rain have cleared the snow in the shade garden. Without knowing it, we sited the shade garden directly in the path of the north winds. Wind had already diminished the amount of snow cover here. Ed braved the wet weather to get a couple of pictures. My clumps of bluets look fantastic. It's a joy to see them again. This is the first time that bluets have survived the winter for us.

The cardinal flower that Ed transplanted into the shade garden looks great as well. Spending the winter under a blanket of snow has obviously been beneficial. Close to the house a few other plants have been uncovered. Green grass shows in places where the snow was not so deep.

We were standing by the window watching the rain when the a bald eagle did a low fly by and then made low circles in the area shown here. A second bird flew in and joined in the circles. How amazing that the birds were flying low enough to disappear behind the stand of spruce trees and then reappear into the open area. We watched them intently for several minutes until one bird disappeared behind the stand of spruce trees and the other flew off in the direction of the river. Speculation about a possible nearby nest is running rampant. These eagles may be of breeding age. A mature, white heads and tails, pair were photographed in a field near us early last year. It is a challenge to keep our excitement in check.

Now the few snow flakes falling in the picture above have been replaced with many more. The plants will again be under a blanket of white. I can't say I mind this time. It will give the brimming river and streams a chance to recover and protect the plants. Such a quick spring preview was a bit of a tease, but a welcome one!