Nature Connection: The Joy That Is April

Writing this column a week ahead of publication is always tricky at this time of year, because what may be new and exciting the day I write may become old hat by the time it appears in your mailbox. Keep that in mind as you read this week, for things are happening fast with changes in nature taking place almost every day.

The morning bird chorus is picking up with more birds chiming in each day. In my neighborhood, the cardinals, robins and song sparrows are the earliest to sing, joined a little later by the flickers and red-bellied woodpeckers. Smaller woodpeckers such as the downy woodpeckers are not big singers, but they attract their mates by pounding out messages on any surface they can. All woodpeckers do this, but the larger ones add loud vocalizations to their courtship repertoires.

Many people complain about noisy woodpeckers each spring as they find ways to make noise using metal flashing as well as house shingles. Our neighborhood flickers use a nearby electrical transformer to make their pleas, much to the annoyance of the neighbors that live beneath it. It makes a very satisfying and loud noise, all the better to attract an interested female. In woodpecker world, he who makes the loudest noise may win the attentions of the female he desires. If you are being driven nuts by an amorous woodpecker, the noise will ease off once he finds a mate.

If you have woodpeckers and nuthatches digging into your shingles or siding, they are looking for insect larvae, so you might want to check that out. This is also a good time to clean out your gutters as squirrels and jays may have stashed all sorts of seeds and acorns there that will also host many insects, an open invitation for hungry critters of all sorts.

Pine and palm warblers have arrived, both sure signs of spring here on Cape Cod. Listen for their high trills in pine and oak woodlands. They are easy to hear and find, especially for warblers. They both nest here, unlike the dozens of other warbler species that will begin passing through on their way north within the next few weeks.

Each spring morning is a time of discovery if you’re a bird watcher. Rumor has it that hummingbirds may be arriving even as I write. This means orioles and catbirds won’t be far behind. Male towhees are arriving, singing about drinking their tea as they await the arrival of the females.

Herons and egrets can be seen in many areas, and if you’re lucky you may spot a mourning cloak butterfly, one of our earliest of the season. These butterflies are pretty cool, wintering over as adults behind bark on trees. Most species overwinter as eggs or larvae, so these guys are super tough to make it through our winters. Look for them in open woodland areas in sunny spots, flying or sitting with their wings open on the ground or on a log in a sunny spot.

Everywhere I’ve been I’ve noticed trees and shrubs budding. Tiny leaves are just about ready to pop but so are tiny flowers. Look for spicebush flowers in the woods. The trees are small but full of tiny yellow flowers, giving the forest a lovely golden glow where they grow. These trees are host to the spicebush swallowtail butterflies. And you may discover a rolled leaf hanging that is actually a cocoon that still holds a pupating larva. Please leave it be. You can return often to see if you can catch it emerging, a real treat if you are lucky.

Spring is such a magical time of year. The herring are running, the ospreys are mating, the foxes are carrying food back to their dens to feed little foxes, and flowers are getting ready to bloom all over. 

In the marshes the new grasses are beginning to push up through the old, snails and crabs are poking about, and minnows are filling the creeks once again. 

I think many of us are itching to get in the gardens, but take your time clearing out the detritus of old plants. There is a whole community of living things there. It’s OK to clear out what you must but please consider keeping an area of your yard wild, where you can leave the leaves year-round with no pesticides, herbicides, etc. This can be behind a shed, at the back of your property, anywhere you can leave it undisturbed. The fact is that even leaving the leaves until May and then raking them up can counter the good you’re trying to do. It’s better to establish an area that can just be left to grow and decompose naturally.

This is the time of year when some animals and birds will be happy to build their nests under your deck, in your shed, in your chimney, on your front porch, in your grill, on your front door wreath, or anywhere they see fit. If you are not fond of sharing your space, now is the time to secure it.

Check sheds and garages for broken windows or holes. Clean out under your deck and either fence it or block it if you want. Wildlife on the Cape has lost a lot of habitat and what remains has learned to live with humans. We can learn to live with and enjoy them or try to discourage them. Either way, educate yourself about the habitats you are knowingly or unknowingly providing. It will save you from heartache and frustration later on. And for some of us, it will bring added enjoyment.