It's almost early spring, and when one thing is happening, something else is always happening, too.
When you hear mourning doves singing before dawn, then organize all your buckets for tapping maple sap.
When you see the flushed tips of peonies sprout, then listen for blue jays seeking mates and watch for wild turkeys gathering in flocks.
When yellow aconites bloom, then spread fertilizer in the field and garden so that it can work its way into the ground before planting.
When the first daffodil foliage is six inches tall, then go to the wetlands to find skunk cabbage in bloom.
When you notice pussy willows emerging, then it is time to spray fruit trees for insects with dormant oil.
When the first knuckles of rhubarb emerge from the ground, then it’s time to plant your onion sets and seed your cold frames with spinach, radishes and lettuce.
When strawberry plants have new foliage, then wildflower season has begun in the Southwest, and bald eagles are laying their eggs in Yellowstone.
When you see robins mating in the morning darkness, then you know that crocuses should soon be coming into bloom.
This is Bill Felker with Poor Will’s Almanack. I’ll be back again next week with more notes on nature and the seasons. In the meantime, remember that if one thing is happening, something else is happening too.
