What's Happening Outside Now - Has Spring Sprung?

By Bill Willis

March 8, 2017

The NIEHS campus doesn’t know whether to spring forward or still hunker down. Is this pseudo-spring or just a big tease? Signs of spring around campus:

• The second driest February on record occurred last month.
• The tree leaves are emerging from their winter leaf buds.
• The red bud flowers are showing purple and the Forsythia their yellow.
• The Canada Geese have begun to pair and are chasing other males away.
• The snakes are leaving their winter dens and can be seen sunning along the trails.
• The aquatic turtles are competing for their place on the sunny logs.
• The purple martin houses are being raised in anticipation of the bird’s return.
• The bluebird boxes final touches are being done, with birds already picking out their houses.
• The nuthatches can be heard on campus. Hopefully the nuthatch houses will be put to good use this summer.
• Wildflower beds will be plowed in March and planted at the end of the month.
• The riparian zones that were disturbed by the new walking trail will be seeded with a fescue seed blend to help stabilize the shoulders.
• Invasive plants like Johnson grass, Japanese Lespedeza, and Japanese stilt grass were physically removed when the walking trail was graded.
• A monarch milkweed garden plot is being checked for new Milkweed sprouts. This natural area is scheduled to become part of the Butterfly Highway program.
• The Memorial Garden plants have been groomed and mulched with straw.
• The bee blocks/boxes have been harvested and pupa stored in the refrigerator. The boxes have been cleaned, repaired, and replaced on campus.
• The algae are responding to the bright days and warmer water temperatures by putting on a growth spurt about three weeks ahead of last year’s calendar.