Spring! Has it sprung? Is it springing?

The air has turned (somewhat) warmer, the rains are (maybe) diminishing, and are those tulips I spy poking out of the ground?

This Indian Plum certainly seems to think so!

At our work party yesterday up at Pigeon Point, we got to see some lovely oemleria cerasiformis (that would be the Indian Plum above) in bloom. These are easy to recognize in the Greenbelt because they are often the very first flower to appear–sometimes showing up before the leaves on the plant! Skunk cabbage has also been sighted in the Greenbelt. Another sure sign of spring!

In addition to being treated to some beautiful flora while planting our cedar trees, we also got to see some fauna! These cute little ducks made themselves at home in the “pond” they found.

These ducks are mallards, which are actually the ancestor of all domestic ducks–the original mamas and papas of the wide variety of ducks we see. The male is the more brightly colored one, with the turquoise head, and the female is the more drab, brown one. Mallards most likely evolved in Siberia, which is quite a different climate than what you can find in the Pacific Northwest! They seem to be infinitely adaptable, appearing from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Hawaii, from Iceland to Morocco, to Japan and China, and even as far south as Australia and New Zealand (although they are an introduced species down there). They can survive in Arctic tundra and in subtropical regions. It’s amazing what you can learn about an animal so common you don’t even think twice about it!

We still have plenty of trees to get in the ground over the next week (about a thousand), so if you find yourself with some time on your hands and are itching to get out in this beautiful spring-like weather, come join us! It’s time to get those Vitamin D levels back up!