As the Groundhog Day thaw approaches, many signs of the broader scope of the new season of Late Winter appear, reminders of what to watch for and what to do in the weeks ahead.
When the first fly gets in your house on a warm late January day, then opossums wander the back roads at night.
When the red tips of peonies push out just a little from the ground, then blue jays are courting and wild turkeys are gathering in flocks.
When red-winged blackbirds come to build their nests, then the maple sap should already be running.
When the first snowdrop foliage emerges through the snow, then it’s time to sprout cabbages, kale, and collards under lights.
When pale Asian ladybugs emerge in the warmth of sunny windowsills, then yellow Jessamine is blooming and camellias are at their best along the Gulf Coast; avocados and papayas are ripening far in the South.
When the first knuckles of rhubarb emerge from the ground, then it’s time to plant onion sets directly in the soil and seed cold frames with spinach, radishes and lettuce.
When sparrows are courting, then that is a favorable time to cut branches of forsythia and pussy willows for forcing indoors.
When small brown moths appear in the woods on warmer afternoons, then ducks and geese are looking for nesting sites.
This is Bill Felker with Poor Will’s Almanack. I’ll be back again next week with notes for the second week of Late Winter. In the meantime, keep track of the signs you see. Even if you notice one or two, those observations can become an outline for more as Early Spring approaches.
