First I would like to say Thankyou to each and every one for reading , and for your kind words of support and congradulations on my JOTW award. Ya'll are my inspiration and It's my pleasure to share the nature and wildlife with friends like you all , so I wanted to share some early spring happenings in the nature world around here with ya ...

In some places , like Omaha , Nebraska , where my mom lives it is still wintery weather , with lots of snow and freezing temperatures , but here in south Texas it is just the opposite. We had a couple of light freezes early on but have been having record breaking high temperatures every since. This has caused some confusion with mother nature and the critters . And it's not just around here either... Alot of folks are telling me about thier unusual , Spring-like, happenings even though it is barely February.

It seems as though Spring is springing itself forward. It has been gradually sneaking in on us a little sooner each year, over the past few years. Here is an article about it that I read .And after I read the article I wondered what Spring was like and what time of year it used to come in, like maybe a hundred years ago or so... so I did some research and I found a wonderful story from a woman that greeted the spring here in 1916. Florence Merianne Bailey was an unique writer and a great contribution to wildlife and environmental history from the pioneer days. She dedicated her life to observing and protecting bird life and recording the wonders of the natural world. She became one of the foremost women writers of her era and traveled for 50 years studying birds. I love the way she describes the nature and wildlife in this clipping from one of her many books :

 

 

 and the story continues with more beautiful descriptions of the lands and the wildlife, mosly birds that she saw on a 360 mile train journey she made through the southern praries from across Texas in April of 1900. My descriptions can not give justice to the beauty of the nature as Florence Merriann Baileys' writtings do, but I am seeing most all of these same wonderful blooms of color and nature wakenings here now. The only difference is... it is only early February now and spring didnt come until late April here in the 1900's.

And I do know that it is confusing to see blooms like this so early and it is confusing to the wildlife as well. some of the snow geese seemed to know that grasses would be sprouting early and they came early too. Tit mice and starlings came earlier too. The list of early arrivals for birds is as long as the early blooms and insects list. But since it has become the trend over the past few years ... is it really early ? And will the birds know that food sources will be waiting there for them at their migrational destinations? The right timing is essential for their survival, and I have seen huge flocks of geese wandering aimlessly in circles searching from high above their feilds of forage, only to find no grasses to be sprouted yet.

I suspect that global warming is a major contributor to the seasonal confusion and that mother nature is definately showing us some of the consequinces that come from the destruction of the earths natural resources that it depends on to keep it's delicate eco balance and heal itself. There are many articles on this The EPA Climate Change site provides comprehensive information on the issue of climate change and global warming in a way that is accessible and meaningful. And the NRDC's global warming site provides information on the causes and effects of global climate change, and offers solutions to the problem. There are many ways people are striving to undo and repair the damages. The Stop Global Warming website has alot of facts on global warming and the Climate Change phenomenons, with 50 ways to stop global warming as well.

Here are a few pictures of early signs of spring around here now

Honey bees are buzzin' around the pond and the Huische blooms.

 

 

When I catch the sweet scents of this Huische tree  I know spring is in the air!

 

 

 This yellow aloe vera bloom usually means that the blue throated humming birds are not far behind, but it is still a little early for the migrating hummingbirds to start arriving.

 

 

 The blue phlox is blooming early and if you look closely you can spot a crab spider dancing on top of one of the petals..

 

 

 

The trumpet vine , another favorite of the hummingbirds is begining to sprout fresh new starts ...

 

 With the sweet perfumy scents of the Huische blooms breezing all through my house and the chipper sounds of birds bathing and singing right outside my window, I am finding it hard to be still long. It is 99 degrees here now, so I am off to do some more "early spring " explorations around the habitat. I hope you are all enjoying this season in what ever shape or form it is presenting itself to you because sometimes nature can be full of wonderful surprizes!

 

 

Spring......sounds lovely...but we, of course, are still dealing with the wintry weather you spoke of. Right now my temp is showing 19.9 degrees....and that doesn't take into effect the wind chill which has been below zero for EVER! lol Although I will also say that 99 degrees doesn't sound like a picnic either. I'm definitely a 75-85 degrees kind of gal! LOL

The pictures are lovely. Thanks for taking the time to share them! Hope all is well with you!