The wild strawberries are in full bloom in the pastures and forest fringes.  I’m finding them in places I haven’t noticed them before.  The patches I watch each year seem larger, and I’m hopeful that this year I’ll be able to gather enough wild strawberries for a batch of jam.  Of course, I hope that
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We’re weeks past the Vernal Equinox, but it’s only in the last few days that I’ve been convinced that spring truly has arrived.  I’ve learned not to trust calendar dates or average frost dates.  Instead, I wait for certain signs from nature and not just one bloom or one particular plant.  Mother Nature tricks plants
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The daffodils are nearly ready to bloom.  These sprouted right through the snow, and their tips have been nipped by several hard freezes.  In years
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The woods here are greening.  In the understory the wild rose bushes, buckbrush, and honeysuckle vines are leafing out.  The willows and elms already have tiny leaves, and even the buds on the oaks are swelling.  Oddly, these signs of spring have made me realize something I’ll miss about winter.    I’ll miss the tree
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Years ago, I had two little snowdrop plants by my front steps. Those were my early harbingers of spring. The first appearance of the snowdrop
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I’d feared that the late spring freeze had wiped out this year’s crop of wild grapes, but I spotted these beauties among the leaves of a pecan tree at the edge of the back pasture. They’re unusually large for wild grapes, too. I suspect that’s partly due to the location. This vine has its roots
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My favorite spring lettuce mix comes from Pinetree Seeds. It’s a colorful mix of red, pale green, medium green, and even red-freckled leaf lettuces in
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