The following article was written by Jess Johnsrud, the Education Coordinator at the Woodland Dunes Nature Center.
Despite the overall colder than usual weather, signs of spring are all around us. Just take a short stroll outside in the morning and you will notice it is quite noisy compared to a few weeks ago. Songbirds are singing loudly and on repeat to find a mate. If I crack my office window, I can hear a northern house wren singing his heart out. Some songbirds have even started building their nests. At the Nature Center I’ve seen house finches, mourning doves and geese actively nesting, and some are already feeding young chicks. Additionally, some of the warblers have started to return. As I write this, the yellow-rumped, Nashville, black-and-white, northern yellow warbler, and palm warbler have been spotted in the preserve. More warbler species will be migrating through soon.
Another sign that spring is here comes from the thirteen-lined ground squirrels. They have been active for the past few weeks. These small mammals hibernate in underground tunnels in the winter. Near one of their tunnel entrances I noticed the first dandelions of the season. Early in spring, these flowers are a vital source of food for mining bees, mason bees, bumble bees, hoverflies and other native insects. Their bright yellow flowers bring a little extra cheer as the lawn greens up around the Nature Center pavilion.
The vernal ponds in the forest are also showing signs of spring. If you look closely, you will see jelly-like clumps of dark eggs in the water. These are frog eggs that will soon hatch into tadpoles. The tadpoles eat algae and aquatic plants in the water and quickly grow into frogs or toads before the water dries up. Look even closer in the water and you will observe dozens of small black tumbling or wriggling critters that will soon turn into mosquitoes.
Many plants are beginning to grow and are poking through the forest floor. The ferns are starting to unfurl, their long fronds will open soon. The mottled leaves of the trout lily can be seen growing in small colonies. Other plants are starting to emerge too including ramps, bunchberry and asters.
Take a walk on the trails in the preserve or in your neighborhood and look. The signs of spring are all around us, we just have to slow down and notice.
