This Week in the Woods- Mar 2010
publication date: Mar 8, 2010
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author/source: Rob Sandelin
March is usually an unstable relationship, a warm and sunny disposition, full of hope and promise, can quickly change into fits of angry hail, frozen flowers and even snow. The wind can be measured in March as it pushes misty squalls on its front edge. One sunny day while standing in a field I could see a wall of rain, like winter capped with the dark hats of clouds heading my direction. The sun went behind the cloud and the rain passed just a few hundred feet from me and then it was back to sunshine and spring. It was like winter had walked by on its way back north. The warmth of the Pacific ocean which transferred into January and February seems to be continuing, and the line of snow on the mountains creeps ever higher. Flowers such as Salmonberry, which are often a bit more cautious about sending forth too many early blooms are going all out this year with many more early flowers than usual.
The constant of this unstable month is the growing light, which will exceed 12 hours by the end of the month, just past the Vernal equinox. For a moment in time, the earths angle will balance equal amounts of day on both northern and southern hemispheres, and then slowly the tilt brings us closer to the sun and longer days. This timer of light sets off the mad scrambles of migration, breeding and territory in the animal world. The Douglas squirrels are getting a bit chippy as they size up and define their turf, rendering a good scolding to trespassers. Over the next few weeks there will be wild romantic chases through the trees, around and around trunks, along branches ending in death defying leaps to another branch and on and on. These high speed follow-the-leader pursuits may be how a female judges the health and vigor of a potential partner. Catch me if you can!
The flowers are already falling from the Cottonwoods, bright red topped purple bangles sometimes with the sticky, balsam smelling bud covers still attached. There is just a hint of green on the upper edges of the trees but within a week or so the leaves will be noticeable. Just as the leaves emerge so do the Early Morel mushrooms, a distinctly flesh colored, phallic structure poking out of the ground, always in the company of Cottonwood mulch. If you eat these be sure to check them for bugs, they quickly become full of fat white larva. You also want to cook them well in an open pan as they have a touch of rocket fuel in them which can have unpleasant after meal affects if you eat too many.
Also poking up out of the ground at the same time as the Early Morel are the Garter snakes who have snooze away the winter. These snakes will go underground for the winter sometimes in groups of hundreds although groups of 20-30 are more typical. As they emerge there is a great deal of intertwining and coiling around each other. The snakes mate immediately upon emerging and a female may be surrounded by many competing males. Eventually the orgy breaks up and the participants wander off to a solitary summer existence.
The rush of spring is surging and washing over the landscape like a tide. The forest floor has become green with the leaves and shoots of False lily of the valley and the lace doily leaves of Bleeding hearts. These plants spread through underground stems and then pop up all at once, sometimes covering large areas. It is a magical transformation as the brown forest floor of winter turns spring green overnight. The new green is punctuated with the bright white flowers of Trillium which stand tall like flags announcing the seasons change. In the swampy spots the big yellow flowers of Skunk cabbage are poking up through the mud. By months end they will be in their prime and the rod-like flower inside the hood will be abuzz with flies and beetles.
On the warmer afternoons keep an eye out for the queen bumblebees. They have emerged these past few days and can be seen flying low over the ground, landing here and there, poking under leaves and other places. She is seeking a dry and secure place to raise her first brood, and while many places will do, what she really seeks is her idea of the perfect queens castle, a deer mouse nest. Deer mice abandon their nests from the year past leaving behind perfectly good real estate, dry and usually nicely insulated with fur or other material. The queen bee will lay her first brood of eggs in a small cluster all snug in their mousey bed, then make for herself a large pot-like cell which she will fill with nectar and pollen. Then she does something no other bee does, she will sit on her eggs and incubate them, just like a miniature chicken. She only does this for the first brood, to get them through March’s fits and starts, the other broods will have to deal with the cold themselves. The eggs hatch into larva which will eventually become yellow fuzzy daughters which will do the work to raise the next broods over the summer.
If there is magic in the air Swallows are involved. These bright birds are just appearing in our skies, and will soon begin checking out hollow trees and nest boxes. The grace of the aerobatic swerving lines that these birds carve in the sky as they nab insects in mid air instills awe and envy in us poor earth bound clods. Theirs is a fairy existence, living on air, dancing with rainbows as they cut and dodge and swoop with such joyous abandon. The first swallow of spring is worth celebrating. Another bright flying jewel are the Rufus hummingbirds which arrive with the opening of the Red-flowering currant and Salmonberry. The early birds are migrants, following the flower trail north as far as Alaska.
The pond which has lain quiet over the winter seemed to have something new today. I sat on the edge until a frog emerged well hidden amid the flotsam. It appeared satisfied that the coast was clear and crawled up a impressive vertical face to perch on a bit of moss. A few moments later the sun came out and I wondered if that was a random action or if the frog somehow knew the sun was going to come out. The sun created a column of light which penetrated deep into the water and within this stage it was possible to see movement. I leaned forward to get a better look and was astonished to find that within the lit area there was a vast universe of uncountable numbers tiny creatures all zipping hither and yon. From time to time bigger creatures which lurked in the dark shadows lunged into the crowds, causing momentary panic and chaos. Wanting yet a closer look I grabbed a cupful and brought them to the microscope. There is something humbling about entering the world of the microscopic. The scale of our world is full of big and majestic things: trees, sunsets, mountains, oceans. And yet, right under our feet, is an entire universe of fantastic creatures, totally alien and amazing. A single drop of pond water is a universe in itself, full of drama, spectacle and adventure.
Spring is on the move, so take a walk and let me know what you find.
Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer, Teacher
Feel free to comment below!
Contact Rob Sandelin at floriferous at msn dot com
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