A Window Of Opportunity Is Opening—

The Musical Notes

And Emerging Greens Of Spring

By Kendra Bobowick

Snow encrusted birdbaths and soil hardened with crystallized moisture may have clung to our backyards as recently as last week, but this month will quickly chase away those frozen images and replace them with signs of spring.

The birds, the flowering bulbs, the early blooming shrubs, and those residents eager to break open their gardening sheds await the first day of spring next Wednesday.

Practiced eyes and ears know the signs of the season’s change. Garden Club of Newtown president Beth Caldwell-Cluff has already encountered spring guests both indoors and out. “The birds are there and we can hear them singing and we are starting to see different breeds,” she said.

On a practical note for those who venture down a wooded path to watch those birds, she offered another prevalent sign of spring. “Of course, there is mud everywhere,” she said.

Also with an eye for the small details, Ms Caldwell-Cluff has spied a few drops of color pushing through the frost line.

“I have seen a few crocuses snuggling up against buildings in the sun,” she said. Willow trees begin to turn green, and a familiar corps of trees she notices each year also announce the changing season. “This is a fun time of the year, I like to sit by the window,” Ms Caldwell-Cluff said. She enjoys watching the wildlife move through her yard while Mother Nature awakens from winter. She has other small “housekeeping” habits that enhance her connection to the outdoors.

Thinking again about the birds, she said, “I like to put things outside for the nests — lint from the dryer, dog fur from brushing the dog.” Her gifts are not overlooked.

“Sometimes I see [lint or fur] in their nests and that is kind of cool,” she said. Also outside are her annual guests. Two sparrows are making a home in her porch pillars and she is watching their progress. “There is a tiny pocket of space there and they sleep in it every night.”

Other wildlife is also on her spring checklist.

“It’s time to start watching for deer,” she said. The peepers also add their voices to the dawning spring season. “I like when they start making their sounds,” Ms Caldwell-Cluff said.

The birds are not the only winged creatures to buzz in the spring. She said, “I saw a fly in the house the other day.”

As spring reawakens, the garden beds show hints of green; new growth begins to emerge along the long-barren shrubs waiting for winter to end and the greenhouses beckon to those nurturing an impatient green thumb.

Eugene Reelick, one of the owners of Hollandia Nursery in Bethel, said, “Starting the greenhouse is my favorite [sign of spring].” The scents bring the season’s nostalgia back to him.

“I am a grower and when I open the greenhouse and wet that soil, the smell — that’s spring,” he explained.

Certain hints in the air anchor the season for others. Mr Reelick said, “For a lot of people, spring is when the neighbor is cutting the grass, and that smell is a sign.” Others will comment about their eagerness to get into their warmer weather wardrobe. “They will say, ‘I can’t wait to wear my favorite pants or favorite shorts,’” Mr Reelick said.

His gardening background draws Mr Reelick’s attention back to the plant life. What is a sure sign of spring? Witch Hazel (Hamamelis), he said.

Although not an indigenous plant, Witch Hazel is sold and at times can bloom as early as late February. “It did last year,” he said. This year’s late February days were too cold for an early bloom, however. The plant can be purchased locally, although it is not a native species.

“Once you see that bloom, you know it’s spring. It is absolutely one of the signs that spring is around the corner,” he said. Along Plumtrees Road in Bethel near Blue Jay Orchards is one spot where Witch Hazel has been planted locally.

“It’s also blooming in the nursery now,” he said. The shrub is often mistaken for Forsythia from a distance. “It has a beautiful yellow flower,” Mr Reelick said.

Aside from the traditional emergence of renewed plant growth, small bulbs blooming like the crocus or daffodil, signs of people enjoying the change in the weather is another hint that spring has come. Ms Caldwell-Cluff said, “I have seen a lot of people out walking — people out with their dogs.”

Among the people caught in spring’s spell is Newtown resident and Horticulture Club of Newtown President Dottie Evans. “Just walking outside early in the morning, you hear the birds,” said Ms Evans.

Her favorite twittering and chirping comes from the song sparrow.

“He starts singing March first, I swear. You see him in the winter, but he doesn’t sing,” she said. Once he starts the song is constant, she said.

What are the birds singing about?

“They are saying, ‘I have territory here, how about moving in with me?’” Ms Evans has plans for those birds who are preparing to occupy a space. She said, “I get out there and empty all the birdhouses. I want them cleaned out because they want to get in and nest.”

As she walks in the early mornings and listens to the renewed frenzy of songbirds, Ms Evans notices other details that add up to springtime. “If you can see a pussywillow, that’s spring,” she said.

As remnants of dirty roadside snow melt and trickle, Ms Evans insisted, “It’s the best time of year, really. First, I see the willow.

“The landscape is gray, but there are these yellowish puffs [of pussywillows]. The color suddenly comes out.” The color is a cue for gardeners to get moving quickly.

“It’s a golden time,” Ms Evans said, describing a small window of time — the next four weeks — when residents have the chance to get out into the gardens, clean, rake, and clear away dead growth.

But don’t be lulled into thinking that spring clean-ups can be delayed, she warned. “You look out and for a long time it looks like nothing is happening, but suddenly something is and you can’t keep up. The window [of opportunity] is coming.” The plants are ready for the spring. “The new growth wants to come up,” Ms Evans said. Outside, close to the ground, is the evidence for those who wish to look.