March 2023
Pacific Northwest
At long last, spring has arrived in the PNW islands, marked as much by temperature as light. Our unusually cold temps, especially at night over these past couple of months, delayed some spring nature events this year, like the start of chorus frogs singing. Phenology FOY observations over the years can track that. Here are a few recent FOYs in my neighborhood.
Satinflower: the first few were out when I went by on March 17, meaning they’d opened up a few days earlier. Satinflowers usually bloom in late February.
Red- flowering currant, a native deciduous shrub, first bloomed March 14, about two weeks late.
Bumblebee: March 16. They tend to show up at about the time the currants bloom, so yeah, late too.
Rufous hummingbird: March 18
Bucking the trend….. chippies!
Townsend’s chipmunks, who den all winter, first appeared out and about on March 1, earlier than usual by a week or two.
What’s blooming or awakening where you live, and how does that compare with your phenology observations from previous years?
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THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, WATERS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS.
WE INVITE YOU TO NOTE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU IN YOUR OWN PART OF THE WORLD, AND TO SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF THE DAILY BUCKET FEATURE, CHECK OUT THIS DIARY: DAILY BUCKET PHENOLOGY: 11 YEARS OF RECORDING EARTH'S VITAL SIGNS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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Warming in the PacificNorthwest islands. Temps in low 50s! Mixed sun and cloud, with a light breeze.
WHAT’S UP IN NATURE IN YOUR BACKYARD?