Everything wakes up after the long dark of winter.
I think this is my third spring commuting on the bike trail, and I’m getting to know the rhythm of the seasons. Right now the Indian Plums are blooming & leafing out and the flowering cherries (?) are in bloom. There’s one with astonishing white flowers that will start covering the trail in petals like snowfall or a ticker-tape parade.
Later this month and next month, nearly every other plant starts bursting into leaf, turning the trail into a glorious green tunnel — with breaks to vistas of open fields and the expanse of Chambers Lake. The lake, too, comes alive with water lilies.
Already the frogs and the birds are starting up their chatter, the birds shouting down at me from the tops of the trees now that I’m out in daylight instead of darkness. In this little sliver of time right before the switch to DST, I’m catching sunrises and sunsets both; next week morning will be back in mostly darkness, but the evening will be entirely light, and gradually the sunrise will come back.
I have yet to see any bunnies, but they’ll be back soon as well, along with the aforementioned frogs, lizards, little snakes, house cats and the occasional raccoon.
After the long dark, I find the arrival of spring an immense relief, even if it comes in fits and starts. (There’s a very slim chance of snow overnight!)