SIGNS OF SPRING: A Series by Dennis Briede, Staff Naturalist

We want you to know what is going on in the world of nature at this time of year as well as some news about The Land Conservancy of New Jersey. Most of the time we are so busy traveling from work to home, or school to business, that we don’t see what is going on in the world of around us, the world of nature, that we are all working so hard to protect.

At this time of year we are still in the wrath of this snowy winter but there are already many signs that spring is just around the corner. If you have a view of a forested or a wet, swampy area take a closer look at it and you will notice that the trees have taken on a reddish hue. That means that the buds are swelling, in anticipation of spring. This is especially true of the maple trees. In about three weeks they will be blooming! Another sign that spring is just around the corner is the song of the cardinal. In the early morning they are starting to whistle their clear melodious song. Some of the other local birds that are easily seen this time of year are the morning dove and the tufted titmouse, who are also starting to sing.

You can also hear the drumming of the woodpeckers in the forest outside your window. Just like bird songs, drumming is most common in spring when birds are trying to attract mates and establish territories. Sometimes they will pick a rain gutter to hammer away on and it sounds like a machine gun going off right outside your window. Great horned owls are already sitting on their eggs and the bald eagles are ready to nest. Small flocks of redwing blackbirds and common grackles are gathering and will soon disperse to find their nesting sites. You can hear them chattering away in the trees. Turkey vultures as well as black vultures are moving north in the skies above us. Crocuses & snowdrops have pushed up from the ground and soon will be flowering. Maple sap is starting to flow. You can sometimes see it hanging on a branch like an icicle. Small brown moths are already flying around in the warmer evenings.

Keep your eyes and ears tuned in the next couple of weeks for more sights and sounds of spring. The skunk cabbage will be blooming and woodcocks will be arriving and displaying their mating rituals in the wet fields. The two common overwintering butterflies, the comma and the mourning cloak, will be seen fluttering outside. Spring peepers will start to call from the swamps and wood ducks will be arriving in the local lakes and small open areas. So even if we get more snow and cold spring is coming. Stay tuned.