Sometimes I feel like I’m the last one to get the memo. You know, the one that says, “Drop everything and get outside. Spring is here!
With our new building, the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, set to open at the end of April, it seems there is no end to the details that need attention. So I’ve been pretty focused—unusual for someone who has a crow-like affinity for shiny objects and myriad other distractions—and relatively oblivious to the subtle seasonal changes that surround us.
But wait, what’s that, you say? You didn’t get the memo either?
Well, despite the fact that the temperature is only in the 30s today, and there’s a threat of snow in the forecast, there’s no denying that spring, that joyous season of renewal, is in the air. Even if you missed out on what I hear was a lovely day yesterday, all you have to do is look around. And listen.
The cardinals are declaring their territories with decisive notes of “Birdy, birdy birdy” and “What cheer! What cheer!” These handsome red devils work with their mates, the brown-hued females, to stake their claims early on, and defend them throughout the spring breeding season.
Speaking of devils and defense, the red-winged blackbirds are back, and hard at work too. Tuesday evening as I was leaving Hickory Knolls I heard several males calling from the cattails nearby. These fellows have arrived from their not-too-distant wintering grounds, and are vehemently declaring what’s theirs. (Remember that this summer, say around the end of June, when a redwing comes sailing at you. Breeding territories, at least as far as these guys are concerned, must be defended at all costs. When a redwing hits you in the arm, or the shoulder or the back of the head, he’s only doing what he must to protect his family. It’s nothing personal. Really.)
I also heard, due to a from-the-field phone call (thanks Kathy and Bob Andrini!) that the skunk cabbage is up. This earliest of spring wildflowers pokes up through the ground toward the end of winter, using its arsenal of snow-melting chemicals to clear the way.
When the skunk cabbage comes up, that means it’s also time for one of my favorite springtime rituals, maple sugaring. This is the time of year when maple trees in our area are sending water and stored sugars up through the sapwood, or xylem, and out to the branches, nourishing the buds and enabling this year’s leaves to grow.
Now’s the time to tap into this sweet resource. If you’d like to learn more about how the maple trees in your yard can help supply syrup for your pancakes, visit the Kane County Forest Preserve District’s Maple Sugaring Days (March 6th and 13th), McHenry County Conservation District’s Festival of the Sugar Maples (March 5th and 6th) or the Fox Valley Park District’s MapleFest (March 19th).
The calendar may say that spring doesn’t start for another two weeks. But the signs are undeniable. Make a memo to yourself to get outside and enjoy this fine time of year. And cc me on it, will you? I need to get out and enjoy it too.
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.