Thus Endeth March

tanjabrittonwriter 55 Comments

I should be accustomed to Colorado’s idiosyncratic climate by now, but it still takes me by surprise. The last week of March was a case in point. Maybe the month had lost track of time, or wanted to prove that it, too, can be as moody as changeling April. Monday started mild, with seasonal temperatures and friendly weather, but by Thursday, we approached near record-breaking 70 + degrees Fahrenheit and a risk of prairie fires in parts of the state because of associated winds. While most of us gratefully swiveled our faces toward the warm sun like the blossoms of the few blooming flowers, we were forewarned to gird ourselves against the vicissitudes of the season.

To enlarge a photo, click on it. To read its caption, hover cursor over it.

View of the mountains early in the week/Bergblick anfang der Woche
Last year’s still colorful vegetation/Bunte Überbleibsel vom vergangenen Jahr

Sure enough, Friday brought clouds and a chill, driving everybody back indoors. A thunderclap announced more impending changes. Small (thank goodness) kernels of hail, and a tornado that touched down about 25 miles east of here, were the first harbingers of unsettled spring conditions, but were followed by a reminder that winter is not yet willing to give up its rule entirely, when a few hours later, wet, heavy flakes dropped from a low, gray sky. Frosty Saturday did not bring a single glimpse of the sun. On Sunday, the last day of March, it managed to burn a window into the clouds for a few hours, before a somber veil was once again pulled across the sky, which released intermittent squalls of snow.

Frosty fungus/Frost auf dem Pilz
Fresh snow in the mountains/frischer Schneefall in den Bergen
Fresh snow/frischer Schneefall

Is it any wonder that one’s emotions follow the ups and downs of this meteorologic roller-coaster ride? Spring at the fringe of the Rocky Mountains seems a long time coming. Nightly frosts retard the growth of plants, and winter’s desiccated vegetation still dominates the scenery. There are hopeful hues of greening grass, and the hyacinths and daffodils in front of the house have unfurled their pretty petals—only to have their noses bitten by frost, as is the case each year. The wildflowers know better, and are not fooled by wrong promises.

Hyacinth with ice crystals/Hyazinthe mit Eiskristallen
Hyacinth/Hyazinthe
Daffodil/Osterglocke

Spring migration, always a balm for the soul, has not yet fully started. Each new avian arrival is greeted with a happy heart, but the number of new birds does not yet equal or surpass that of the birds that have left us, or soon will leave us, for their summer breeding grounds.

Scrub Jay, year-round resident/Buschhäher, ein Standvogel
Townsend’s Solitaire, a winter-only resident/Townsendsklariono, ein Wintergast
White-breasted Nuthatch, year-round resident/Carolinakleiber, ein Standvogel
Western Bluebird, spring migrant/Blaukehlhüttensänger, ein Zugvogel
Say’s Phoebe, spring migrant/Zimtbauch-Phoebetyrann, ein Zugvogel
Squirrel, always here and always hungry/Eichhörnchen, immer hier und immer hungrig
Tasty morsel/Leckerbissen

This transitional time is a time for sad goodbyes and impatient restlessness, but also for hopeful expectations and cautious optimism. Hope springs eternal.

Moving toward spring?/Dem Frühling entgegen?

55 thoughts on “Thus Endeth March”

  1. Liebe Tanja, nach Sonne kommt Schnee und Hagel und Sturm – ist das eine “self-fulfilling prophecy”? 🙂 Aber der Winter wird dieses Spiel verlieren, da bin ich ganz sicher! Alles Liebe, Ulrike

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    • Wie lautet das Sprichwort? Dein Wort in Gottes Ohr! Naürlich hast Du recht, liebe Ulrike, und wahrscheinlich erhöhen diese Schwankungen nur unsere Vorfreude. Aber schließlich muß der Mensch sich ja über irgendetwas beschweren können! 😊
      Dir noch eine gute Woche.
      Tanja

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  2. That’s spring for you. Even over here our weather has worsened. Snow in Scotland and northern England, but it will come good. I think as we wait each year for spring we take the first few early signs and think this is it.

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  3. Thy old-fashioned endeth pleaseth; thou didst well.

    Your use of vicissitude reminded me of a play on words from high school Latin class. Containing the same root as vicissitude, the Latin adverb vicissim means ‘in turn,’ and the little sentence Iubet vicissim means ‘He orders in turn.’ The play on words is that the Latin is pronounced the same as English “You bet we kiss ’em.” As a native German speaker, you may also be interested to know that the root in vicissitude is the same as that in German Wechsel.

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  4. Lesen kann ich nicht, weil ich auf dem Smartphon den Übersetzer nicht bemühen kann, aber ich kann deine wunderbaren Bilder bewundern.
    Schöne Vögel und auch bei dir wird der Winter weichen.
    Sieht aber wunderbar aus mit den Schneekristallen.
    Hier sieht es heute sehr seltsam grau aus. Irgendwie unheimlich.
    Liebe Grüße, Brigitte

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    • Dankeschön, liebe Brigitte. Wie man hier sagt-wenn Dir das Wetter nicht gefällt, warte einige Stunden. 😊
      Glücklicherweise wird der Frühling hier bald Einkehr halten, und werden sich die grauen Wolken bei Dir zertreuen. Wenn es immer nur super schön wäre, kämen wir ja zu gar nichts, weil wir uns immer nur draußen aufhalten würden.
      Euch noch eine gute Woche.
      Tanja

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  5. Liebe Tanja,
    auch wenn euch der Winter noch (ein bisschen) im Griff hat, so hat der Frühling doch, deinen Bildern nach, schon seine Boten ausgeschickt…. deine Blumen sind ein Augenschmaus! Von deinen +70 Grad Fahrenheit können wir nur träumen!! Wenn diese Temperaturen allerdings mit einer Warnung für Wildfeuer verbunden sind, dann ist das weniger schön!
    Viele Grüsse aus Québec – wo der Winter nur zaghaft dem Frühling das Feld überlässt!
    Christa

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    • Auch zu Dir wird der Frühling sich noch vortasten, liebe Christa. Wie sagt man so schön-alles zu seiner Zeit. Das weiß ich zwar theoretisch auch, aber manchmal nimmt die Ungeduld halt Überhand.
      Hang in there-noch so ein “hilfreiches” Sprichwort. 😊
      Herzliche Grüße,
      Tanja

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  6. Ja, wunderschön bei dir! Auch mit dem Schnee in den Bergen … Hauptsache Sonnenschein. Hier soll es morgen auch wieder schneien … aber der Frühling setzt sich durch!

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  9. The birds are telling us that spring has arrived here in California. They’re chirping away in the mornings and it’s a welcome sound. Our weather isn’t remotely inclement here on the coast of Central California, but it is nice to see the lupine and the daffodils blooming 🙂

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  10. ………..and I thought our weather DownUnder was predictably UN-predictable, especially in Melbourne. Autumn is making its presence known by the crisp yellows, oranges and reds creeping across the leaves though.

    How lovely it is to see the birds, early Spring flowers and wee critters are around between cold snaps and snow.

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    • We probably all have our fair (or not so fair) share of un-predictable weather, Vicki.
      I am glad you are enjoying your autumn colors, while we get to enjoy our spring flowers, one after the other. I hope it has cooled off some for you, too!
      Happy autumn down under!

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    • I would miss having seasons, too, Jolandi. As it is, we have seasons in Colorado, but my favorites, springtime and autumn are too short for my taste. But we live where we do, and try to make the best of it.

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    • Very well said, Pooja. As far as I know, spring has never once skipped appearing, unless it was for some calamitous reason. Let’s hope this year will not fall in the latter category.
      And you are right, the scenery does spoil us all the time (if it’s visible 😊).
      Happy springtime to you and your fiance, Pooja.
      Tanja

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  15. Das ist das Schöne an der Natur. Der Frühling kommt immer irgendwann! Doch statt zu warten, sollte man genießen, den Moment.
    Und so ein kleiner Schneeeinbruch verzaubert die bereits aus der Winterruhe aufgeweckte Landschaft ungemein!
    Tolle Landschaft, die Du uns zeigst, liebe Tanja!
    Genieß Dein Wochenende 😊 LG Simone

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  16. These tempestuous spring days certainly defy the slow-and-steady approach, don’t they, Tanja? I love your photos and your gentle reflections on the rocky ride we take this time of year. Here’s to springing and hoping….

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    • Thank you, Andrea. I have to remind myself that this IS springtime in Colorado, and that it could be much, much worse. Today I was surprised by getting my first sunburn, but on Wednesday, I will have to put my hat and gloves back on. 😊

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  17. Oh my goodness, it must be amazing to have those mountains in your view! Beautiful! And funny what you said about more birds leaving than arriving. It’s such a relief to finally get into birding season here. I 💘 cardinals, but I’m glad some more of their friends are arriving daily.😊🐣

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  18. Spring is definitely coming! But yes, it can be a bit temperamental. I didn’t wear a wool hat today. Time to switch it for a sun hat! Thanks for sharing the birds that stay all year, spend the winter and migrate through. I like that the birds change with the seasons, like the plants. Your fungus photo is lovely! 🙂

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    • I also wore my sun hat today, Myriam, but I did not put on sunscreen on my exposed skin, and got my first sunburn. Since snow is predicted for later this week, I will likely have to pull out my winter hat again. 😊
      I am glad you enjoyed my birds and the frosty fungus.
      I hope you are enjoying your spring.
      Best,
      Tanja

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  20. So those yellow flowers are daffodils?!! I have only this year, noticed them and think they are really beautiful. They are all over in my neighborhood and am planning to take some bulbs to my mother who loves flowers. The photos of birds are really pretty as well.

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    • We call them daffodils, but I have also heard them called jonquils. I am not sure if the name differs regionally. I also find them very pretty and cheerful, like beam of sunshine. I hope your mother will like them.
      Thank you for stopping by and for commenting.

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  21. What wild weather for end of March, Tanja! Mother Nature isn’t sure if She’s Winter or Spring yet around you. Spring has seemed like a long-time coming this year. I hope your weather turns Spring-like quickly, so the mountain wildflowers can bloom their colors!

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    • Wild weather in March, and wild weather in April. I guess that’s spring in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I am not complaining, Donna, the days are lengthening and little by little, new birds are arriving. I do look forward to the wildflowers, though!

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  22. ‘Not fooled by wrong promises’ applies not only to flowers but to birds too. We (humans) should look to the natural world for inspiration on adaptability rather than retreating to enclosures with HVAC cranked up and cups of tea in hand.

    I love the frozen fungus, which looks to be some variation on turkey tail. It’s good to get outside when the weather goes rogue. Might have to get used to it!

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    • I agree with you, Shannon, but most humans, at least in western societies, live far removed from natural cycles, with little notion of what is happening around them. I can’t imagine not knowing (and feeling) the seasons–to a degree, of course. I have never understood why we freeze the inside of our buildings in summer, and turn them into furnaces in winter.

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  23. Ah .. ‘feeling the seasons’ is crucial to my good health. 85 degrees indoors in the summer is positively delightful when it’s 98 outside. A quick path to a low energy bill? Spend more time outdoors.

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