March 03, 1988 - Signals of SpringPage 8A/The Suffolk Times /March 3, 1988
Signals of Spring
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
March first has come and gone and it is
almost time to start looking for signs of
spring. Most of us are aware by now of the
longer days. At least now, if you leave
from work at five, it is light outside. I can
remember how dismal it used to be when
I was working and went out to get into the
car and darkness had already set in. Then
add a cloudy day to that time of the year
and it seemed as if the world had lost its
charm.
You have probably all noticed the green
sprouts of daffodils and hyacinths poking
their heads through the on- again, off -
again frozen ground. It seems bulbs just
can't wait to get started on their journey of
wonder. We place the lifeless bulbs in the
ground in the fall. After a short nap
wrapped in the comforts of Mother
Nature's earth, they are stimulated into a
living and determined plant, one that
can't wait to show its wondrous blooms to
the world.
We have already seen the small white
blossoms of the snowdrops out under our
evergreens and on the front lawn.
They've been up since the middle of
February. How they manage to get
through the frozen ground and dangle
their little white blossoms in the face of
rain, snow and freezing cold I don't know.
For those of you who do not have a clump
of snowdrops outside your window, I
suggest you put these bits of joy on your
shopping list.
Once planted they never seem to need
any attention. That, to me, is a big plus in
their favor. To prove their ability to func-
tion alone I'm reminded of an old nearby
farmhouse left unoccupied, the grounds
unattended for over 20 years. Then the
home was bought and refurbished and
some limited landscaping done. In the
middle of February the new tenants
looked out to an area they had done noth-
ing with and saw clumps of snowdrops.
They were blossoming as they had year
after year in the same location and seemed
to be just as showy as if they had been
tended by a gardener all that time. The
Focus on
Nature
people couldn't get over it. That's the
kind of planting I like, ones that will
persevere despite man's lack of upkeep.
Vernal Ponds Hold Surprise
Unknown to most but an annual revela-
tion to a few are the vernal ponds that
bring forth salamanders each year on the
East End. These woodland ponds are
meccas to the little -known salamanders
that are stirred at the first thawing of the
woods. Asleep beneath a rotten log or
buried in the soft soil of the woods, these
miniature creatures with their long bodies
and small legs and feet remind us of the
past.
They seem to have come out of a period
of long ago. Most know them not at all and
for good reason for they are nightcrawlers
and even then only on special wet nights
when the dampness and temperature are
just right.
In early March and sometimes as early
as February they leave their winter bunks
and head for the vernal ponds where they
mate and the next generation of eggs is
laid. It's here that unknown rituals are
performed in dark ponds. A complex
system of identification and lure that only
the salamander knows goes on as it has for
thousands of years unnoticed by the rest
of the world. Once the courtship and
mating are over and the eggs are laid they
again crawl out of the clear pools of cold
water and return to their underground
world of darkness where they probe and
roam looking for insects, bugs and the like
that make up their unseen diet.
Common Signs of Spring
But then there are signs we all look
forward to: the swelling buds of the for-
sythia, the calling of the peepers in the
pond, the yellowing of the willows, all tell
MAIN ROAD, SOUTHOLD • 765 -2288
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
MUTE SWAN— Already the swans in our creeks have paired off and
are checking our nesting sites. They'll build a bulky reed nest hopefully
high enough to keep out of the reach of occasional high tides of spring.
us that spring is on its way. And, of
course, there's the red- winged blackbird
that has already set up his territory in our.
back pasture. He calls from the top of a
small black cherry in the hedgerow and
sings his heart out all day long. Head
back, epaulets flaring their brilliant red -
orange, he calls for a mate. This one must
have been one of the few that stayed over
all winter long for it is still a bit early for
the flocks of males to arrive. The middle
of March is about their time and a week or
two later the females will follow. We'll
see them in groups until that urge comes
to settle down and seek out a territory.
Then up and down the creeks and wet
areas you'll spot them high in the treetops
calling. Redwings are a true sign of spring
on its way.
Those of you who live along the shores
have already seen that the ducks have
paired off and the display of bobbing
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heads and thrashing about has com-
menced. Look up into the sky and you'll
see a pair of ducks flying. They'll stay
together until mating and egg laying. Our
local mallards will stay here but the bay
ducks, like the buffleheads, oldsquaws,
mergansers, and scoters will move out
and head north.
The swans have paired off by now and
are patrolling the creeks to find a spot for
their nesting site. This will be a huge
collection of reeds which seems to grow
every day in height.
Of all the signs of spring the return of
the osprey is the one I think I look for most
for it symbolizes the renewal of life.
Down in the deep waters the eels and
flounders have started to move out of the
mud and without them there would be no
food for the osprey. Surely their big nest
will have to be repaired and challenges to
new birds fought off but in the end the
same pair will return to its nesting site and
we will have the joy of watching the
family grow.
Everywhere in Nature's plans there is a
time and place as the sun moves north-
ward each day and triggers a world of
activity most of us are barely aware of.
The magic and wonder are almost too
much to comprehend. We see a bud on a
tree or a bird in the sky and shout out to the
world, "Spring is coming."
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