Jamaica Pond is finally ice-free! The wind coming off the water yesterday, however, did not feel like it. We took a walk as the sun set.
American coots were diving for vegetation and then squabbling once a coot was successful at obtaining some. It’s late in the year for the coots, which should leave for their summer breeding grounds in the Upper Midwest and Canada any day now.
With snow on the ground and a chill in the air, Saturday did not feel like spring. But the birds at the Arnold Arboretum were singing their spring songs. We found large concentrations of birds near the Visitor Center and around Faxon Pond.
The red-winged blackbirds, all males as far as we could tell, were singing loudly. Common grackles, another sign of spring, checked us out with those freakishly white eyes of theirs.
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On Sunday, I joined an Urban Nature Walk in the Arnold Arboretum led by Jef. Last year at this time, a few magnolias, cherries, and red maples were blooming. This year, winter still held sway with temperatures in the 30s F, a cold wind, and patches of snow hiding in shadow.
Despite the cold, we found a few plants in flower. Skunk cabbages (Symplocarpus foetidus) were popping up near the marsh.
The rosegold pussy willow (Salix gracilistyla), native to East Asia, was also starting to bloom.
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Due to a warm early spring this year, the peak bloom for most of the lilacs at the Arnold Arboretum was the weekend of April 21-22. However, over a month later, a few varieties are still in bloom (date of accession in parentheses):
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Spring has arrived early this year. The lilacs are in bloom. And most of the trees at the Arnold Arboretum have either bloomed or started to leaf out.
A few species still wait cautiously. Among those that have yet to wake:
Under the moon, side by side, they weep.
