Spring is Here

Spring is here and I am happy about it because it means warmer weather, verdant foliage, and an abundance of furry and feathered critters.  The past few days in this part of the country have been a bit on the gloomy and damp side, but otherwise we've been enjoying stretches of sunny days with wonderful temperatures.

As busy as we all are, it's a good idea to take a moment or two to go outdoors and observe what is around us this time of year.  The dogwoods are in full bloom right now.  The crabapple trees are fragrant and ever so pretty with their abundant flowers.  The squirrels, robins and even the occasional groundhogs or foxes have decided to make their presence felt throughout the landscape.

On one of my recent walks I took a few photographs and even a short video of the kinds of things happening around our home.  It's been somewhat of a tradition to have a 'spring has sprung' post here on the blog, so this is it!

Whenever I am standing in this spot on the field, I have to pause and take a look.  I also like to listen to what is happening around the area.  You can see birds, deer, bees and countless insects from this vantage point.  

Turning to my right I can see the barn and the trees which surround it.  A small flowering dogwood is among the first to bloom.  It's beautiful.

If I decide to take a stroll down this way I will come upon even more majestic dogwoods.  At the moment everything looks tame and somewhat subdued, but come summer, the meadow will be buzzing with activity and the grass will be thick and abundant.

You can see the row of dogwoods on the horizon, next to the apple trees. Those white poles are part of the afforestation objective.  It will be decades before those trees become large enough to block the view, but it's something which will benefit the field for generations to come.

Here I am standing next to some newly-planted trees.  I love the view from here.

Looking down toward where I originally started my walk, you can still make out the barn.  In a few months when the grass is allowed to grow quite tall and thick, I won't be able to see the stone structure from this area.

Do you have flowering crabapple trees in your yard?  There is something so alluring about crabapple trees this time of year.  Not only are the flowers absolutely gorgeous to look at up close, but their scent is something else.

I wish you could smell these fragrant flowers.  In a few seasons the trees will be laden with lots of tiny fruit.   

You have no idea how happy I am that we now have black squirrels in the area. I had only encountered these in a neighboring town whenever I happened to be near the train station.  This year we seem to have been bestowed with their charming presence.  We always look out for them from our windows and on this day, I was fast enough with the camera to take these photos.

Here it is digging for something to eat.

Success!  The black squirrel found a small nut which it quickly devoured on the spot.

I'm a big sucker for groundhogs.  It isn't officially spring until we see one of the resident groundhogs out and about.  We've named this cutie, 'Henrietta'. She is always focused on eating the best greens near a hill, but she seems to be quite the explorer.  We've caught her near a small gully which runs alongside the driveway.  I wish we could just pick her up and hug her.

Here's a short video of her eating.

Little Henrietta loves to take short, quick nibbles of grass and other greens. With her stubby legs and waddling gait, she moves with purpose and determination.  Isn't she adorable?

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OK, there is no excuse for you to be indoors right now.  Go out and take a walk in a park or simply sit out on your yard to enjoy the view.  You never know what you're going to find scampering on your lawn.  Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons of the year, and you can bet that as busy as I am, I will make it my mission to take longer walks so that I too can enjoy the changes in the landscape.  

I hope all of you are having a fantastic start to spring!