Nature Connection: The Many Moods Of Spring

Spring is more a state of mind than an actual season here on Cape Cod. If you’re new here, this may come as a surprise, but the rest of us know to simply enjoy the few beautiful days we get. In fact, it isn’t uncommon for locals to take the day off when the sun shines warm, the wind dies down, and the flowers begin to bloom.

Some hang a shingle on the door that says “Closed” or “Gone Fishin’” while others play hooky. I think a lot of fevers and sore throats happen on lovely spring days early in the season and I’m pretty sure bosses and teachers look the other way and wish only that they could join them.

It was a long, hard winter and early spring at our house, so we took a week and went to the Outer Cape for a bit of vacation. We found a sweet little rental where we could make our own meals if we wanted and settled in to enjoy a few days of wandering and resting.

We couldn’t have planned it better if we’d tried. The first few days were perfect spring days full of warm sunshine and a tiny bit of breeze. We walked trails in the woods and looked for flowers and birds, watched a beautiful sunset from the beach along with dozens of other happy people, got a little painting and writing done and enjoyed some good food and relaxation.

By the end of the week the weather returned to its usual spring offerings of cold and damp days, but we didn’t care. We’d had a taste of what was to come, or at least what we hoped was to come.

Spring has many moods here. She can be lighthearted and kind, giving us days perfect for walking, gardening, eating outdoors, or just reading a book in the backyard. She can be fickle, giving us sudden rain showers, or bringing us a thick fog out of nowhere. She can play with the thermometer, making it swing back and forth between almost freezing and so warm we pull out the flip flops and shorts. Those in the know don’t put away the heavier stuff until June, though.

Everywhere we went outdoors there were flowers blooming and birds singing. Cardinals seemed to be everywhere, along with robins. Song sparrows are already nesting, and we noted several spots where they were probably nesting under hedges and bushes close to the town sidewalks. Song sparrows are ground nesters, and you may find their nests in your gardens, in tall grasses you haven’t cut down, or under your shrubs or hedges.

Pussy willows have been flowering for a while, their once tight fuzzy buds we are all familiar with opening to much larger, fuzzier flowers that often have a touch of yellow haze around them. Red maples are also blooming right now. You’ve probably seen the small, red fuzzy flowers high up in the sky. Some are lower, of course, but often we can see the lovely branches full of small red flowers against a cerulean blue sky and we know that spring is indeed finally here. Red maple is one of our earliest native trees that blooms. The other is the shadbush, which is more shrub-like and has wispy white flowers. It’s also called serviceberry, and both names have interesting stories.

Shadbush is so called because it blooms when the shad, a type of herring, is running. You can find both here now. It is also known as serviceberry because when it bloomed it meant that people could once again dig graves and bury their dead. I’ve never wanted to think too hard on what they did with the bodies all winter, but I bet they were glad when that bush began to bloom!

Trailing arbutus, our state flower that is also known as the mayflower, actually blooms in April and it’s everywhere right now. The flowers are tiny, so you really have to look for them, but they smell divine. If you can get down on the ground to enjoy their scent, you’ll be happy you did. Look for them in mixed pine and oak forests along the trailside. They like disturbed ground that gets sun in the spring and have rough, almost furry leaves. Please don’t pick, as they are protected. Once you find a patch you can return to enjoy them every spring.

Many of our early spring ephemerals are small, unassuming flowers that enjoy the open canopy of early spring. They are gone by the time the leaves fill in, which is why they are called ephemerals. These include the starflowers, Canada mayflowers, trout lilies, anemones, and other lovely little flowers. There’s something sweet and tender about them, like spring itself. I make it a point to enjoy them as often as possible in the early spring.

Many of our insect friends are waking up, but you can still walk in the woods without getting attacked by mosquitoes or biting flies. Ticks are out all year here so take your usual precautions. Watch for the tiny blue spring azures, tiny butterflies that love the early spring flowers and are often seen in the sunny spots along the pathways.

We’ve been seeing and hearing a lot of yellow-rumped warblers where we’ve been walking, but other birds are arriving almost daily. These next few weeks host the bird migration bonanza that birders wait for all year. Keep your eyes and ears open wherever you are, for you never know what will show up where.

Whales are in the bay, both the right whales and the first humpback whales, so watch the water as well. Right now, spring is in a good mood, so let’s enjoy her offerings while we can. As we all know, she can change her mind at any time.