The Healing Connection Weblog

It’s Easy Being Green

The big change the past 5 to 7 days has been the greening of the landscape. Lawns have quickly gone from brown to green. I saw people at a golf course 2 days ago. The grass was so green it was stunning.

A shrub in my yard is leafing out. I don’t even know what species it is. But it’s tiny green leaves are the first I’ve seen this spring. This is such a huge change. Leaves show us the wind, waving back and forth even in the most subtle breeze. During winter the only way we see wind is when it is strong enough to blow the tree branches or snow (or send a grocery bag flying by). Leaves also allow us to hear the wind in all it’s force and all it’s subtilty.

In a week or so the trees will start leafing out. March is known for the phrase “in like a lion, out like a lamb”. The thing I associate most with April isn’t the emergence of flowers. It’s the way it starts with naked trees in the woods just starting to leaf out. Trees that you can see through. Then at the end of April we have a sea of green. What lies beyond is a secret we only uncover by going there.

Get out and notice!

It’s Official - Spring Is Here - A Bird Told Me

Never mind that spring has officially arrived (as of March 20th)…

As I sat on my porch last night listening to Robins (more than I could count) singing everywhere, with thunder off in the distance, and damp air all around me, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how quickly things change. At the begining of the month it was winter cold and there was still a great deal of snow on the ground. Nature was still very much in that inward mode. Now things are starting to turn green, insects are appearing, the feel and smell of the climate has completely transformed. The birds were singing with such intensity, fliting from branch to branch, sending their territorial message to all within hearing distance. We’re past the small signs of spring. The bursting forth phase is here!

Get out and enjoy the changes!

Spring - Making It Official

We’ve had some very spring like weather (Wasn’t Tuesday, March 13th gorgeous?), followed by some colder days. That’s March in Nebraska. The volatility of March can be hard on us but it is also a time of hope (see Time of Hope / Time of Difficulty). This brings me to the topic of the Official Start of Spring. This year that event occurs on March 20th at 7:07 CDT.
This point in time has less to do with actual weather conditions than it does astronomical events. At this time the center of the Sun is directly over the Earth’s equator. This event is called the Vernal Equinox. Equinox comes from Latin roots meaning “equal” and “night”. Day and night are of equal length. Actually that’s not quite true. Because the Sun extends well beyond it’s center we can still see part of the Sun after it’s center has gone below the horizon. There is a little more sunlight than darkness. But close enough.
From this point on daylight, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, will increase until it reaches it’s maximum during the Summer Solstice, June 21st, when the Sun reaches it’s greatest distance from the equator. Then daylight starts to decrease until we reach the Autumnal Equinox where day and night are equal again.
How can summer, and the hottest months of the year, occur after the days start getting shorter? The reason is the oceans which play a big role in our weather. It takes them awhile to catch up to the changes in light level.
Why do we even have seasons? The Earth tilts. During summer in the Northern Hemisphere we are tilted closer to the sun than the Southern Hemisphere which is experiencing winter. During our winter the opposite is true and we trade places, weather wise.

Whatever the reason for the seasons it sure beats having the same thing all year long.
Get out and enjoy the spring.

First Flower Of Spring?

 On Saturday I checked the nearby Silver Maple trees and the buds had not opened yet. Today they are in full flower (see above and below). I don’t know for sure but think this may well be the first flowering plant in the Omaha area. For more on this see the previous post Snow vs. The Coming Spring. Why is this significant? It’s a symbol for all the growth that is about to burst forth. Plus it’s a thing of beauty to behold!

Since these flowers are tiny they usually go unnoticed. While you are out in areas with trees look around. You are likely to see some. Silver Maples are widespread in the area.
Look soon. They won’t be here long.

Enjoy the spring!

Enjoying The Weather

I hope everyone has had a chance to spend time outdoors on this beutiful weekend. Yesterday my wife and I walked around Wehrspann Lake (aka Chalco Hills). It was sunny, warm, and there was very little wind. I was surprised at how the lake was still frozen, enough so that many people were able to enjoy ice fishing. The Papio NRD has a web cam of Wehrspann. Just go to their main website (here) and click on Chalco Hills Web Cam. The picture is updated every ten seconds or so. It does look a little greyer than it really is but isn’t modern technology wonderful?
While there I saw my first Bluebird of the year. Cardinals are singing regularly now and Robins have just arrived in the area and taken up territories. I saw migratory robins starting 2 weeks ago but just Friday (March 9th) I heard my first Robin singing. I’ve also seen an insect here and there.
Small signs of spring but I’m loving it. More is on the way!
One of the things I notice about spring each year is that each phase passes rather quickly. Get out and enjoy it. It will be changing soon.

Snow vs. The Coming Spring

After a few days of March like weather and an almost total melt off of the snow accumulated through February, winter returned with snow, wind, and colder tempratures. With the ground being as warm as it was and the forecasts of above freezing temp after today, I doubt this snow will last long. Which brings me back to a topic I can’t get off my mind, Early Signs Of Spring.

A annual event of nature is about to happen, as it does every year around this time, and it will likely be missed by most people. One of the first flowering plants to bloom in the Omaha area is the widespread Silver Maple tree. You may not have noticed this tree even bears flowers. Silver Maple flowers don’t have petals like those of say an apple tree. They are tiny wind pollinated flowers that don’t demand your attention. For more information on Silver Maples including pictures of the male and female flower go here.

All winter long the the flowers buds (see below) have been visable, ready to burst forth with growth when the time is right. That time can be as early as the end of February but is more likely within the first 10-14 days of March. The timing is based to some degree on moisture and temprature but more than anything the level of sunlight is the trigger. This blooming of flowers will take place whether it’s warm or there is snow on the ground just as it does every year. One reason this natural event is missed is because we aren’t looking for it and we tend not to look up this time of year, at least not with scrutiny. The next time you are out look for trees with fairly large, round clusters of buds and keep an eye on them during the early part of March.

Why is this important? Because when we notice the change going on around us it helps us to focus on the changes taking place in our bodys, our moods, and our spirit. We are a part of nature. The more we realize this the easier it is to make the huge transitions that season change represents.

We could have snow through much, or all, of March. But that does not mean Spring will not happen all around us. Cast your attention to all around you and realize your place in all this.

Early Signs Of Spring

The temperature was right around zero when I got up this morning. We definitely are experiencing winter lately. But there are signs of spring already.

Winter is known for it’s shorter days. For some mood is effected by a lack of sunlight. What many people don’t realize is that the first day of winter, the Winter Solstice, which occurred December 21st, is the point in time when day and night are of equal length. It’s the turning point when days start getting longer. How can that be when we have all the cold months of winter ahead of us? The reason is the oceans, which play a big role in our weather. It takes them time to catch up temperature wise.
Now in mid February if you look outside later in the day you will notice it stays light longer than in recent weeks.

Another sign of spring can be seen in the animal world.
The Northern Cardinal is a common bird around the midwest that is non-migratory. If you have bird feeders chances are you see them regularly through the winter. One thing to look for is premating behavior. The male and female Cardinal stay mated for life and usually stay within a small territory their whole life. During a good part of winter they stay apart. The male may chase the female from the feeder or other food sources. But in later winter this starts to change. If you watch your feeder you may witness a ritual. The male will pick a seed from the feeder and feed it to the female.
Another welcome change is bird song. The male Cardinal often starts their spring bird song very early. To hear an example of the Cardinals song visit this page.
I’ve heard them singing as early as mid December some years. This winter I first heard him the last week of January. I didn’t hear it again until yesterday when it was near zero! I like to think that the Cardinal is excited at the prospect of spring and can’t wait to sing.
Even though it’s cold outside if I close my eyes and listen to a Cardinal singing it feels like spring.

It may feel like Spring is way off in the future but if you look around you can see the transition has already started. To me that feels like hope!

What have you been seeing and hearing?