Nature Connection: Goodbye, Winter

Here we are in March with the official beginning of spring just a hop, skip and a jump away. That’s calendar spring for you and me. Meteorologists use the first of March as their first day.

For me, it all works, just bring on spring. It’s been a long, cold winter both outside our doors and in the news, so I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping the spring brings with it warmer weather and lots of hopeful things to overcome the dread many of us are feeling. In the words of the Wicked Witch of the West, “What a world, what a

world…”

As much as it is tempting to start raking and digging our gardens, please remember that the leaves and dead stalks of flowers are where the future generations of beneficial insects such as pollinators are resting and waiting for warmer days. If you must rake, please don’t bag up the leaves. Just leave them to the side for a while to give them a chance.

Take a look at how nature deals with the old and tired. She lets it all decompose and break down, and then it is integrated into the earth, making it richer and more nutritious. We have become brainwashed to think our gardens and lawns must be pristine, without old leaves or flower heads, but really what that creates is dead space. Imagine if you simply used your own composting leaves and grasses for fertilizer instead of paying for artificial ones. You’d save money as well as the ecosystem.

Winter has not completely moved out, of course. Our surrounding waters remain cool much longer than the inland areas, so we are slower to warm up here on the Cape. Those cold winds and even slushy storms aren’t out of the question quite yet. If you’ve lived here a while, you know we’ve had a few blizzards in early April. As a child I remember shivering in my new spring clothes on more than a few Easters, and I don’t think that has changed much.

As the weather has warmed, I’ve had more of an inclination for nice leisurely walks, whether on the beach or in the woods. The salt marshes are still dormant but won’t be for long. Soon the marsh grasses and salicornia will sprout again. The birds have begun to sing, and I’ve already seen cardinals pairing up and engaging in feeding behavior that is usually part of their courtship rituals. Squirrels are frisky and you may be noticing some very chunky, very pregnant females getting ready to settle into their nests to give birth.

Right whales are feeding in Cape Cod Bay, and soon the ospreys and piping plovers will return. It won’t be long before the humpback whales come back as well, some with babies beside them.

If you’re on the beaches you may be seeing the snow buntings transitioning into their breeding plumages and hearing the horned larks singing. The former will leave soon for their northern tundra breeding grounds, and the latter will stay here to nest and raise their young.

This is one of the most exciting times of year for those of us that love being outdoors. Observing wildlife is a bonus, but just being outside feels wonderful. The air smells fresh, there’s new growth everywhere, and even the humans that have emerged from their winter hibernation are more cheerful than gloomy.

We are living in a dangerous, even frightening time as our democracy teeters, but the more I walk in nature the more I am convinced that we are strong and will make it through this challenge. Nature is a humbling teacher, and the cycles of life don’t spare any of us, rich or poor, male or female, straight or gay, smart or not so smart. In the end even billionaires end up as worm food and their spoils go to their offspring to bicker and swindle over. So, the way I see it, let’s be kind to each other and to all living things while we’re here. It’s a much nicer way to go through life.

A recent lunchtime picnic in the car at a favorite beach gave us an interesting look at greed. There was a gathering of gulls there, mostly herring and ring-billed gulls, and on this day they were eager for handouts. When two women stepped out of their car to eat their lunches, about 50 gulls appeared, screaming and flapping, chasing each other out of the way. They pushed and shoved, all trying to get in the best position for a handout. When the women gave up and went back to the car, one of them tossed a few tidbits to the gulls and pandemonium ensued. If you know gulls you know they are pirates and the fight for the tidbits was impressive. I’m sure you can see the parallels with some human behavior we are witnessing.

March is long and often more wintry than spring-like, but this year, I’m looking for signs of hope, whether it is in the first green leaves of the mayflowers, the flirting of hawks, the new bright plumages of male goldfinches, or the first baby bunnies. Bring on the robins and the first earthworms of the season, the fattening buds of flowers and leaves, the songs of the spring peepers, and the light that is expanding daily. 

That light reminds us that it may get dark at times, but the light is still there. We just have to travel through the dark tunnel sometimes to really appreciate it. Goodbye, winter. We are ready for a new season.