Early April

 

Yesterday's first crocus bloom

It is time for my annual 'first crocus bloom' post.  Every year I try and notice the first crocus blossom of the year.  The date acts as a pretty good reference point as to where we are with Spring - is it early or is it late? This year it seems about normal.  It used to be, almost 20 years ago, that the first crocuses would bloom a little later in April.  Then after a few particularly mild winters they first bloomed in late February.

Last year's post on the same subject (click here) - shows that they bloomed only a week or so earlier, and here's one from 2015 (click here) when the crocuses first bloomed in February! 

Crocus blooms are not the only seasonal benchmarks I track.  I also note when I first mow the lawn, first berries, first blueberry and salmonberry blossoms etc.  These sorts of seasonal benchmarks are a lot more accurate barometers on whether it is a warm, cool, long or short winter than people's impressions ever are.  It seems that about this time every year there are a bunch of people declaring 'this is the longest winter ever' or, on the other hand, that 'winters used to be far, far colder and longer'.  With my benchmarks I know how we stand in relation to earlier years.

In contrast, I also notice when the sun first rises from out of the ocean rather than from behind Spruce Cape.  But this always occurs on the exact same date.  Spruce Cape is my personal seasonal sun dial or 'Stonehenge'.  In the dead of winter the sun rises further to the Southeast from up behind Spruce Cape, and then with the lengthening days it peeks above the horizon from further and further to the north.  Finally, around the 4rth of April it rises from out of the ocean just north of Spruce Cape.  

For all of April it rises out of the sea - just further and further to the north - and then it disappears behind Miller Point on the west side of Mill Bay.  At the end of summer I know Fall is on the way when it reappears from behind Miller Point and starts its slow progression to the south.  In early September the sunrise again disappears behind Spruce Cape.  Patrick

Sunrise 2 weeks ago - from up behind Spruce Cape

This morning's sunrise - directly out of the sea

This is where I went skate skiing yesterday

blueberry buds

Near Island hike - whole lot of trees came down recently

Still 3 feet of snow at pass