New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

Spring is so sweet.

Monday 05/14/2012

Spring is here and has been kept on hold for several weeks now. I have daffodils and lilacs in bloom right now. The daffodils have bloomed going on a month now and the lilacs started early and have been ever so slowly opening. Everything is so lush green right now. And with almost three weeks of off and on rain the local; brooks are flowing good for a change. And the Suncook River has had a good flow going on three weeks now as well.

We sure needed the rain despite the cool gloomy days we have been enduring. And the meadow down back is now filled with spring peeper songs. Seems like it was the recent rain that has finally triggered them here at my house.

Ticks are still thick as ever. I just let my cat in and soon found three ticks on him. His white fur makes for easy picking. We never have had ticks like this in my life. Every trip outside brings another search and likely find of ticks on me or anyone else I have been outside with. I am worried about my granddaughters getting Lyme disease.

Birds are about in good numbers. I'm sure the woods are full of warblers, but my failing hearing is costing me much of the pleasure of hearing their calls. Even spring peepers need to be pretty loud for me to hear them any more. But I'm not dead yet! Life is good.