Could it be Spring Beyond the Calendar Date?

 

                                                               Swamp-henge at the Frink Centre

1 In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;

in cocoons, a hidden promise:butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter there's a spring that waits to be,

unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

                                In the Bulb There is a Flower VU 703

We had an early morning walk along the edge of the maple swamp at the Frink Centre Conservation Area, before any other humans had arrived. The recent warm days have vanquished most of the snow in the bush and the Moira River is now ice free. Of course I made noises about paddling and Ruth rolled her eyes.

I commented that I hadn't heard any wood ducks yet this year only to reach the river's edge to first hear, then see a pair of them in flight. It's as though they served up their presence to let me know that yesterday was the Spring Equinox. Across the river we could see the bald eagles' nest with one of the pair in a tree amidst the rapids. It too obliged us by lifting off and sweeping away along the shore.

In some respects we can't claim that Spring has sprung and we may be brutalized yet by various manifestations of false Spring. It doesn't matter because the Red-winged blackbirds are back and they will be vocally defiant no matter what the conditions.

                                                  Red-winged Blackbird -- Photographer unknown

On our way home we heard a CBC Radio The Current interview with a cheerful conservationist in Edmonton who is waiting for the sound of the first Red-winged blackbird in a location where Spring comes a little more slowly. The piece was about the value and delight in looking for the signs of changing seasons in Canada.

On Wednesday we had our first session looking at Pope Francis' environment encyclical called Laudato Si (Praise be to You): On Care for Our Common Home. I asked the group about what had been praise-worthy during the Winter and one person was candid in saying that while she deals with Seasonal Affective Disorder she found that paying attention to nature during February as part of our congregational project had made a difference. Another said that she too had benefitted from listening and looking during the wintry month and that she and a group of friends are keeping up their daily observations through March with a focus on signs of Spring. 

We finished our walk before the arrival of school groups which will check the sap buckets on the maple trees. The Frink Centre has its own "sugar shack" where the miracle of creating maple syrup takes place. While the forest floor is still covered with decaying leaves and branches are bare there is promise. The hymn above has worn out it's welcome to some extent, becuase of over-use, I could have been singing it this morning. Bring on the trilliums and swamp lilies!