April 8, 2015

Spring Is Possible

A bit of salal from the British Columbia Pacific forest starting to flower in Nova Scotia.

What a difference a few thousand kilometres make. Our previous home on the west coast has experienced what someone has called the "winter without winter". At the same time the east coast is still recovering after one of the coldest and snowiest on record. What a time to move!

Here in Nova Scotia gardeners are keen to get some of their plantings outside which I am told, would normally be happening around this time of year. But big drifts of snow persist and there is little ground showing.

After 9 years of living in our west coast Mediterranean climate (which could see signs of spring in January or February), I had to take evasive action to assure me that the season is changing.

I had bought some cut flowers a couple of weeks ago and they had some west coast salal in them. After a while I noticed flower buds breaking. Spring. There it is. It's inside, but it is happening.



Salal flowers - one of the only signs of spring so far, but I will take what I can get.

I had also collected a bit of branch off of a deer-browsed tree while on a snowshoe hike. I wanted to try to identify the tree that the deer were eating, but had little luck without leaves to help out. Linda suggested we put the branch in water and see what happens.

Another bit of spring is what happened, and we were rewarded with one tiny white flower. I still haven't identified the tree it came from, but I recognize spring when I see it.


So small, so significant, so reassuring - "Spring is possible".

8 comments:

  1. Awww... these are adorable. Here in southern Ontario is a little better, but still very cold. It supposed to warm up next week we hear...

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    Replies
    1. It is supposed to snow tonight...

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  2. Anonymous4/08/2015

    There is a chorus of birds outside my window and I saw the shadow of a hawk in flight on the yard today. Spring has surely sprung here and must be on it's way to Nova Scotia soon!

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    Replies
    1. The birds are bringing spring with them. Robins are here, spring is sure to follow.

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  3. Here in the deep south, it's warm and humid...not very comfortable, but we're about to get a big change. Rain is in the forecast with some severe storms passing through Friday night. (tonight) It seems no matter where you live there is too much of something. Too much snow, too much rain, too much humidity, too dry, too hot, too cold. The more I type "too," the stranger it looks. lol.

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  4. Anonymous4/10/2015

    Happy Spring!

    Finally a few signs here in Calgary. Relatively mild winter here compared to the East. Lots of veg seedlings indoors waiting to be planted outside in a few weeks - kale, broccoli, tomatoes, Spanish peppers. Also some Japanese Indigo for some dyeing projects. I love this time of year - maybe even a bit of spade work over the weekend. Already have been picking a few chives from the herb patch.

    Cheers,
    Jake

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    Replies
    1. Jake,

      Thanks - Spring has finally arrived here, but it is progressing at a cold snail's pace.

      I must admit that after reading your comment I have a bad case of garden envy. We have a lot of work to do here if we are to have a garden this year since we have to start from scratch. Winter smashed my green thumb and it is throbbing...

      Delete

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