Spring is rolling along in Sacramento. Thanks to my daily walks on the trails around Lake Natoma, I've noticed some of the more minute changes that have happened since the official first day.
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| Wildflowers over the bank |
Lupin, monarda, and other wildflowers are out. The series of blooming is always of interest to me; Dutchman's Pipe is long gone. It disappeared in a matter of a week or so, while tiny white forget-me-not type flowers have persisted since before the Dutchman's Pipe and are still going strong. On Monday I saw my first California poppy of the season. I'm still awaiting the blooming of the water iris. I see them standing like spears all along the lake shore. I'm very eager...
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| Patiently awaiting water iris. |
Tiger Swallowtails are here. Spotted Imperials still account for most of the butterflies I see, but in the past week I have seen two of these beauties. They are larger and less frenetic than the Spotted Imperials. I wonder what the right mix of temperature and blooming is that has lured them out?
Duck and goose mating season appears to be solidified. There are no longer raucous territorial battles every day, no geese chasing each other across the surface of the water. I now see pairs of waterfowl bobbing together in the rushes at the water's edge, so I assume they are nesting. I don't want to get closer to find out.
Things are pollenating. My sinuses are quite sure of this.
And last but certainly not least...
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| Turtle time! |
It's turtle time! Turtles are out basking on logs in the sun. I just adore them. I didn't grow up with certain critters, so things like turtles and squirrels delight me. They're oh-so-exotic, you know. Most of the turtles I have seen are the native
western pond turtle, which is good! I can't resist creeping up on basking turtles, but they have very good Spidey senses, so they always plop into the water long before I get a good look. My creeping, however, has revealed that it is also frog season. There are big green ones lurking just under the surface of the water in weedy areas. I need to keep an eye out for them, too...
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How has spring sprung in your area?
It's a turtle, it's a turtle! I just love them. We rarely see them in the wild, unfortunately. I remember getting all excited while we we're in Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona. It was in a huge pond, but still!
ReplyDeleteSpring in the Netherlands is not too exciting this year. We've had very few warm days. Some typical spring flowers sprung up, like crocus. They were gorgeous, but then the weather got bad again. Last week, the trees finally started too bloom. I just love magnolias and blossoms. Then rain hit us and all those gorgeous flowers got ruined.
This is seriously the worst spring I've ever encountered here. I haven't worn anything with bare legs once! Last year we already had had one heat wave.
Hope the summer's better.