Ah, the soft mild air of February. The light is returning, there is occasionally bird song in the air, there are days of sunshine. The trickster month of the west coast is February, beckoning and taunting us with whispers of spring.
It starts with the warm sunshine and warmer air. Then we notice the tree in front of the house is budding up. That lovely yellow-green swelling at the branch tips makes our eyes search for more colour.
Oh the heather, that lovely evergreen burst of colour! But that isn’t enough for our greedy eyes, thirsty for colours beyond the gray and green of the island winter. We are eagerly searching for those first little buds on the ground – the crocuses.
Found!
But. We know that February is the trickster month, remember? Snow and cold and frost are still ahead of us, sometimes right through until April. It is not safe yet to work the soil, or to hope too far ahead. There is much winter weather still to come. February’s warm winds may whisper in our ears that spring is coming, but we know it is still at least a month away. We won’t let February get us too frisky.
At least, not for long….
crocuses are so wonderful!!
they’re like little dabs of magic.
thanks for sharing a glimpse of what is to come…
By: melissa on February 13, 2012
at 7:14 am
Great pics, Kate! I have to say, Spring is my fav. month, what with all those trees budding, the Robins are back!, life!! I admire your prose, too
By: Kim on February 14, 2012
at 11:43 am
You get crocuses in February? I feel like I say that to you every year but it always surprises me how early they show up on your blog! This whole winter has been fickle…warm and nice one day, snow and ice the next. It’s not spring in my book, no matter how much mother nature tries to trick me, until April!
By: Rachel on February 18, 2012
at 5:36 pm