Spring? Summer? Winter?

Spring started in earnest in early April and then summer unexpectedly burst upon us last week with consistent temperatures in the 80’s! Today cold and snow have returned and it again feels like winter!! Well this winter blast won’t last long (hopefully). The warm temperatures triggered the Spring ephemerals to emerge and our trees and shrubs are leafing out earlier than usual too. Spring ephemerals are perennial wildflowers that grow in woodlands in early Spring before the leaves open on the trees and shrubs. These early flowers are an important food source for our native insects and pollinators. The ephemerals put on their show for a brief time each Spring and then go dormant and spend the rest of the year nourishing their root system for next year’s show. The Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) in my yard were just about ready to provide a wave a beautiful blue blooms until today. They will still bloom but the process will slow down. Natives are hardy and for the most part can handle the fluctuations of our quickly changing weather patterns.