This is our third winter in what you could actually call the seasons. While living in southern California as the seasons changed we would talk about the subtle changes in the light, the changes in temperature... of a few degrees... or the lack of tourists at the beach. Since moving to Nova Scotia we have truly experienced the seasons and all the wonderful transitions they have to offer. Of all of these transitions the one from winter to spring is the only one I wish to push along a little bit. I have a feeling I am not alone in this desire to push spring.
We still have a good deal of winter ahead of us here and we usually save this project until our spring is a little closer but this weekend we could not resist. We went out to collect some budding branches for a little spring preview.
It is good to take samples from hardwood trees. We cut maple, cherry, lilac and apple. Be sure to ask permission if you would like to collect from trees that belong to others.
We took some pictures to remember what they looked like when we started. This would also a great time to encourage your young naturalist to draw some pictures in their nature journal. We are going to draw ours this week.
We placed the stems in vases and found a nice light spot to watch them. It is good to get them into water as quickly as possible before the ends seal up. You can also make a fresh diagonal cut once you are indoors and ready to place them into the prepared vase.
In years past it has been very exciting to see them open. With all of the snow we have on the ground right now we are really looking forward to this spring preview.
Have you had any signs of spring in your area? We would love to hear about them.
~ Dawn
