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Health & Fitness

February 22, 2012

Early signs of spring.

This is easily the time of year that excites me most. Regular readers know that I absolutely detest winter (even our mild, Georgia version of winter). Though I am fascinated by most facets of nature, most of my favorite things (snakes, bugs, amphibians, and other creepy crawly things) become dormant in the winter. Plus, my official position on temperatures below 70 degrees is β€œno thank-you.”

So, when I see the very first hints of spring, I start jumping up and down. Well guess what I have been noticing the last week or two?

The first photo is a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) flower. You know the old saying, January's showers bring February's flowers (at least, that is how it should go in Georgia...). Well, here are the flowers. Maple flowers are usually the very first sign of spring to me.

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In the middle is a photo of a Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis). Animal Care Volunteer Jake and I found it basking in the sunshine. Anoles, like the majority of terrestrial ectotherms, are not active in the winter time.

The third photo is of Plum Tree blossoms (Prunus sp.) in front of the Program Barn. Though I have never seen these trees produce fruit, their blossoms are always a welcome sight after a dreary winter.

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And as I wrote earlier, the Blue Birds (Sialia sialis) are nesting along the fence line. It isn't just the Blue Birds either, I have noticed a number of our year round residents start gathering nest materials. This is a great time of year to come check out the birds in general, as we presently have the year round species, the winter migrants, and a few of the summer migrants, all hanging about.

But don't take my word for it, it doesn't matter when I think spring is here. The real expert spoke about this weeks ago.

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