Spring in Ohio: Not Yet, But Close

Northern Cardinal

As usual, spring is toying with us here in central Ohio. Last weekend temps were in the mid-60s. This weekend, they're...well, they're not. Walking at Inniswood Metro Garden this morning, early spring's split personality was everywhere. The birds were singing...cardinals, blue jays, and crows everywhere (and yes, crows and jays are technically songbirds, though not very melodic). I heard several red-bellied woodpeckers drumming. I've also seen dozens of turkey and black vultures in the past couple of weeks, and lots of hawks. Watch the fence posts along the interstates and you'll spot red-tailed hawks watching the fields.



The ghosts of beech leaves past



But the trees are still bare, though some are beginning to bloom. And the beeches are still holding onto last year's leaves. At one curve in the walking path, the hiker turns into an area with tiers of ghostly beech leaves on all sides, in every shade of pale tan, gold, and near-white. Those that fall to the ground are nearly transparent, like tissue paper. Most will hang on until the new leaves sprout in a couple of weeks.

Yellow iris sprouts with ice

The heavy rains that fell here in the past two weeks have filled the frog pond and the boggy area next to it. The pond is the perfect illustration of this year's not-quite-spring: fresh green sprouts of the yellow irises around the pond, standing in water with a skin of ice on top. It made my feet cold to look at them.

But spring is very close. The mosses have been green for weeks, and this week the floor of the woods is covered in green sprouts. The ferns are up, and I finally saw the first leaves of a skunk cabbage this week, though the bloom isn't up yet.

Hellebores in bloom

The cultivated gardens at Inniswood are also coming to life. The grape hyancinths and daffodils along the paths are beginning to open, and the hellebores (or lenten roses, Helleborus orientalis) are thick with blooms, from white to pink to mauve-y purple.

It's supposed to warm up again by next weekend. With any luck we'll have actual spring in another week or two.