Spring abounds

It's great out there and I spent the day outside, we are getting ready to open the nursery and a lot has to happen yet, but we will be open this weekend.
When I got home, Bo and Boots had to be fed and then walked. Boots did not partake. What is going on out on our walks is a plethora of bird songs. Meadowlarks, oh I love Meadowlarks, there used to be so many, but there are still some around and there are several on our walk singing their hearts out.

This was taken with my zoom lens, the camera was on a fire hydrant so it's not perfect, but the song was!
It's a clear elongated song, that makes you stop and look for it's source.















more later, it's tax season.
Handed it all in and here is the rest of the story.

Across the road from the Meadowlark was a male cardinal and he also was going great guns! This time I put the camera on the limb of a cedar tree, of course both of these birds were at the top of the trees.
Colours are amazing in spring, so vibrant and fresh.
The willow limbs are glowing nicely and the new mint in the garden is nothing but green. It all makes you want to be outside as much as possible and it seems that has started with me. I am back in the greenhouse again. I was there yesterday, today was taxes and will be taking Bo with me tomorrow to the greenhouse. He will be so pleased, Bo loves dirt almost as much as I do.
Well, he is sort of gross about it all, he is a dog afterall.

This tree on our walk is a Butternut and it's a healthy one. I did not realize that they are on the endangered species list because of the Butternut canker, a fungal disease. They call it the 'disappearing tree', because this fungus is so deadly. It enters the tree through wounds in the bark, through insect wounds or through buds. When at it's worst, it looks like a black tar weeping from an opening, which you necessarily see the opening. This tree seems healthy, but I should have a closer look next time we are by it. It's flowers are out now and you can see clusters of them here.
Walking along the road home I notice that all of the trees are budding, some faster and bigger than others of course. The Eastern Cottonwoods are ab fab for this. Fat, sticky buds and the trees themselves are huge. It's in a pod of Eastern Cottonwoods where 2 crows have been hanging out the past weeks. Yesterday one had some nesting material in his/her mouth. Beyond this group of trees to another grouping of younger, but very tall Cottonwoods, is a nest near the top. Crows will build on other nests, so I will watch this and see what happens. This looks like it is a crows nest. Crows will also build on squirrels nests, but this already looks like a crows nest as it is twigs no leaves visible on the outside.

I hope to see something happening here.
Mature trees and trees are not as common as you would like in a village, it's very urban in that way. I had many more trees in town, in my small neighbourhood in Port Hope. I saw a lot more nest activity there. Here, they are watching you from a mile away!



 This is how the willow tells us it's spring........