How good are you at reading signs? Admittedly, some are easier to pick up on than others. Big red stop signs, for example, are pretty unmistakable (for most people, anyway.) Flashing neon can be hard to miss, too.
But other signs are more subtle, even though they’re all around. And right now, we’re surrounded by a bunch; they’re nature’s undeniable signs of spring. Here, in handy checklist form, are 10 of our naturalist department favorites:
* Woodpeckers, both male and female, are drumming. Listen for the rapid-fire rat-a-tat of our local species as they pound on hollow trees (and gutters) to declare territories. I heard my first one of the year this past Thursday at West Side Community Park.
* Daylight is lasting longer. Hard to believe, but we’ve added more than 100 minutes to our day length since the winter solstice back in December. Plus, we’re more than halfway to the spring equinox, March 21, when day and night will equal each other at 12 hours apiece.
* Canada geese are pairing off. They still prefer the safety of the flock at night, but these ever-present members of our suburban landscape have started “dating” during the day. Look for pairs feeding just ever-so-slightly away from each other in areas where that longer-lasting sun has melted the snow off the grass.
* Mammals are on the move. Our hibernating woodchucks and bats haven’t stirred yet, but mammals that spend the winter in and out of torpor (periods of inactivity) have roused and are out and about. The other night at my friend Sue’s her front step was free of animal tracks at 7 p.m., but when we left at 10 after a fabulous three-chili meal, opossum tracks dotted the soft snow. Wouldn’t have seen those a month ago.
* Male redwing blackbirds are returning. Competition is stiff among these marsh denizens, which happen to be polygynous (one male, many females) and the early birds definitely claim the better territories. They’ll defend them fiercely throughout the breeding season. (Remember this come June 20-something, when the news will no doubt include reports of redwing “attacks” on unsuspecting folks strolling too close to a well-hidden nest.)
* Spiders! Next time the sun is out, find a patch of ground where the snow has melted and leaf litter is plentiful. Bet you’ll find spiders there, tiny little guys stalking even tinier insect prey.
* Male American goldfinches are brightening. Throughout the winter months, these guys have flitted about in drab olive-yellow. But with spring just around the corner, their plumages are beginning to change. Soon they’ll be bright yellow, just as their nickname “wild canary” implies..
* Maple buds are swelling. Live near a silver maple? Those giant blobs on the ends of the branches are this year’s leaves, coiled up in buds awaiting the first rush of sap. A few more warm days and cool nights and things should really start popping.
* Woolly bears are wandering. It doesn’t take a lot of heat to wake up some of our overwintering caterpillars. And these little guys, with their fuzzy black and brown bands, are among our most recognizable local larvae. Look for them on ice and snow, where they don’t blend in at all, as well as on dried leaves, where their coloration offers a bit more camouflage.
* Skunk cabbage is up! Our earliest blooming wildflower, Symplocarpus foetidus, has popped up in wetlands throughout the TriCities. Chemical reactions allow this plant to generate temperatures 15 to 35 degrees warmer than the surrounding air; besides melting the plant’s snowy blanket, this warmth may also help skunk cabbage spread its stinky (or fetid, as referenced in the Latin name) aroma and attract the carrion-feeding insects it requires for pollination. (Thanks to Kathy Andrini for being the first of our staff to spot skunk cabbage this year.)
I suppose I could go on and on, for more signs of spring are just around the corner. Soon comma, question mark and morning cloak butterflies will come out of hibernation; salamanders will migrate to breeding ponds; frogs will start calling. But now my phone is ringing. And that’s a sign that it’s time to stop with this talk about signs…at least for now.
Pam Otto is the manager of nature programs and interpretive services for the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at potto@stcparks.org or 630-513-4346.