Spring Comes to the Pine Barrens

This is one of my favorite spots in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. I was there about a week ago. See the small sandy yellow beaches on the far shore? It's just the kind of place that some of the area's special plants grow. And just in time for spring... 

New pitchers on the famous purple pitcher plants! 

The new one is bright red. They persist through winter sometimes; the white papery one on the left is last year's. Click to enlarge.

Each pitcher is a modified leaf. They form tubular cups that fill with rainwater..

See the spiky hairs on the big hood above the open mouth of the one on the riight, rear? They face down and direct insects downward toward the water. The lip on the edge is waxy and slick. Insects fall in, drown, and their nutrients are absorbed by the plant. 

It's a uniquely Pine Barrens sign of spring. 

Spring Equniox on Friday

Despite the cold gray weather I saw open daffodils in my neighborhood today, including this one. Just a few were open, the others are still swollen buds. Maybe they are waiting for astronomical spring to begin on the equinox this Friday. 

Meanwhile, a little daffodil poetry from A.A. Milne's When We Were Very Young... 

 

 Daffodowndilly

 

 “She turned to the sunlight  

And shook her yellow head,

 And whispered to her neighbor:

 ‘Winter is dead.’”

Daylight Savings Time Has Begun

Daylight Savings Time started last night while we slept. Our clocks spring forward by one hour, and sunset today in Philadelphia will be at 7:01. Click to enlarge. 

It's Spring!

 

It's the first day of meteorological spring. 

Here are some signs I've seen in the last week. Crocus! 
 

And snowdrops or Candlemas bells. 

And vernal witch hazel. 

Click to enlarge.  

It's nice to see colors again, right?  

And hopefully we've had the last of this for a while. 

Snow Geese in the Marsh

 

Between the melting of the last snow and the arrival of today's storm, there was time for one nice day of birdwatching at Edwin Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on the New Jersey coast.

Snow geese are visiting the marsh now. Click to enlarge.

They were mainly feeding with their heads down in the grass. 

This group suddenly all looked up toward the same direction.

Then they took off. Note the pretty black wing tips.

They made a racket of honks and cackles.  

Picked up speed.

Gained altitude.

Reached the clouds. 

And finally disappeared.  

Winter Robins Holly Feast

 

Remember the flock of robins that was drinking melting snow water on my roof last week? They came back to eat holly berries. Click to enlarge. 

This time there were about 100 robins. Look at them all! The whole tree was packed like this. 

I heard a sound I had never heard before, of hundreds of robin wings brushing against holly leaves. They chirped, darted and flapped. It was a spectacle. 

They ate and flew away, then retuned throughout the day until all the berries were gone. 

A welcome splash of red in this cold gray February. 

Winter Robins Get a Break

 

A flock of about 50 robins visited my place last week. Here are some of them, testifying that robins don't all fly away from our area for the winter and return in spring. Some of them fly further south, and we get the idea they are all gone when they disappear from lawns as the worms and insects become scarce. But most of them stay, switching to a diet of dry fruits and berries. And they may form foraging flocks. This flock was feeding on the berries of a nearby holly tree. Click to enlarge. 

It was that one day last week when, after several straight weeks of below-freezing temperatures, we had a brief mini-thaw. It's hard for wildlife to find water when it is as cold as it has been. The whole flock landed on the roof of my house to drink water from snow melting there. When I went inside to get my camera most of them flew away, but here is the last lingering pair. I bet they are looking forward as I am to the coming carefree unfrozen days of spring.