March by Kate Crowley
GOING
NATURE’S WAY
By
Kate Crowley
March is a month that
tests our patience. When you live in
northern Minnesota and the weather pundits tell you that March 1 is considered
meteorological spring, but officially spring doesn’t begin until March 20th,
you can’t help but feel conflicted.
Almost any weather condition can occur in March, since it is the
transition from winter to spring. Minnesota temperatures as low as -32F and as
high as 83F have been recorded in this month.
Having lived over 60 years in this state, I have gradually learned to
tame my spring fever – not an easy thing to do, but for the sake of mental
wellbeing it is necessary.
On March 1st
we had 11 hours and 11 minutes of daylight.
That in itself is worth a celebration.
Oh, how we miss that great solar star. For me it is the darkness of
winter, not the cold that I find unpleasant.
I know many people are desperate for the snow to disappear and the green
to reappear, but some things just can’t be rushed. In fact, it can be a serious
problem if we have too much warm weather, too soon in this new season.
Last year, if you remember, we had
unseasonably warm temperatures in March and the trees responded as they would
later in April, with flower buds and leaves opening. Inevitably freezing
temperatures returned and killed the new growth, leading to a devastating loss
for apple trees. In Michigan, where they had similar weather, the entire cherry
crop was wiped out. This was a
significant economic blow to the fruit growers. One season lost is bad enough,
but if it were to happen again this year, some farmers might not be able to
survive the loss. So, I continue to hope
that for most of the month we will see mild to moderate temperatures and even
some more snow.
Typically, March is the
3rd snowiest month of the year.
How many times do you remember the state basketball tournaments, which
are held near the end of March, happening in the midst of a major snowstorm? In
March of 2010 however, there was nary a snowflake over the entire state. This fact is hardwired in my brain because
that is the year we walked around Lake Superior and we could have started a
month earlier than we did because of the unusually warm, dry winter.
The snow that is on the
ground now is not going to end our drought, because the ground beneath it is
frozen. Much of this snow will either evaporate into the air or melt and run
into ditches, streams, ponds, lakes and rivers.
It isn’t until much later in the month, when the ground has been
completely exposed that it will be ready to absorb moisture, whether that comes
as snow or rain. And once the snow cover
is gone, the exposed dry grasses become tinder just waiting for a spark. Spring wildfires are a constant worry for
those of us who live in the country, especially those of us surrounded by
forest.
Even with all its
volatility, March is a month that inexorably leads us into true spring and
there are returning animals and birds to look for, and even some greenery
poking up out of the ground by the end of the month. Raccoons and skunks which don’t actually
hibernate, but hide in burrows during the coldest months, will be on the move
again. You will see their pawprints in the snow or muddy roads. For us this will mean the nightly task of
bringing in our bird feeders in the evenings, because the raccoons have a razor
sharp memory when it comes to finding food.
The avian harbingers of
spring will be returning. Last year we
saw our first robin on March 13th,, which was the earliest date ever
in our 26 years here. Our neighbor
Connie said she heard a robin calling last week. I hope it turned back around and headed south
for a couple more weeks. We can expect
to hear red-winged blackbirds as the marsh’s open up, then the Canada geese and
sandhill cranes will follow. Many geese
return to claim territories before all the ice is off their chosen ponds. By
the last two weeks of March the floodgates open as the other waterfowl start to
fill the air with their V’s and calls. It
is at this time that some people will see eastern bluebirds checking out nest boxes. Now is the time to go out and make sure they
haven’t been a winter home for mice and that they are ready for 2013 nesting
season.
Next to our houses,
especially on southern or western exposures the tops of rhubarb and chives may
be seen and some crocus could very well be in bloom by the end of the month.
In the maple forests
taps will hopefully be running with the sweet sap that will be boiled into
golden syrup. Last year’s maple syrup harvest was also a bust because of the
weather. Producers will be crossing
their fingers this year, as will we, since our syrup supply is nearly
gone.
With so much pent up
anticipation in March, if ever there was a month to practice the philosophy of
‘live in the moment’ this it.
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