# Early spring again



## begreen (Feb 14, 2016)

Looks like spring is going to be early again here this year. Quite a contrast to 4 years ago. Our hummingbird feeders are getting crowded and tiny leaves are starting to show on some of the native bushes. Crocuses are out too. Here's a touch of color.
(Yes Virginia, that's a honeybee in the third picture)


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## Swedishchef (Feb 14, 2016)

...
Wow is all I can say.
Winter just started up here.
I know where I want to retire!

Andrew


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## Cynnergy (Feb 15, 2016)

We were in Victoria (BC) this weekend and the cherry trees were just starting to blossom and it was 12C.  I wish it would stop raining though, it's been pretty dreary since New Years!  Guess that's El Niño.  

In related news, The Blob has gone sub-surface due to all of the storms this year: http://www.news1130.com/2016/02/10/is-the-blob-merely-hiding-below-the-oceans-surface/.  I think that's good?


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## Swedishchef (Feb 15, 2016)

Until fish start floating to the top baked and ready to eat 

BG you should be laughing with all of Eastern NA in a cold snap and you guys all toasty. Are you still burning regularly?

Andrew


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## firefighterjake (Feb 15, 2016)

I always love your Spring time posts BeGreen . . . especially since everything up here is white (ground), brown and gray (surrounding views of the woods) . . . and temps were in the negative numbers (we're gaining though -- up to a blistering 22 degrees now.)


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## mikebinthesky (Feb 15, 2016)

I take pics of my first crocus each year.Makes me happy


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## begreen (Feb 16, 2016)

Daffodils and forsythia started blooming today.


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## firefighterjake (Feb 17, 2016)

^^^ This post needs pictures. You know the drill BeGreen . . . pics or it didn't happen.


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## jharkin (Feb 17, 2016)

The funny thing is that just as fast as the deep freeze hit us - its gone.   We went from -12F Sunday night to 56 degrees and thunderstorms yesterday. In just one day the snow completely melted and we are headed for a weekend of sun and low 50s.

Will have to see how the roller coaster goes, if we go back into deep freeze again or lock into a warmer than usual pattern and get early blooms in march....


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## begreen (Feb 17, 2016)

firefighterjake said:


> ^^^ This post needs pictures. You know the drill BeGreen . . . pics or it didn't happen.


Should have gone for a walk earlier, now it's raining (again). Driving into town I saw a big camelia tree in bloom. I'll take some new shots later if it clears up.


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## semipro (Feb 17, 2016)

Swedishchef said:


> ...
> Wow is all I can say.
> Winter just started up here.
> I know where I want to retire!
> ...


From your other post it sounds like you're headed the wrong way!


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## Swedishchef (Feb 17, 2016)

Never upgrade living conditions. It is like anything else we upgrade: you just can't go back. Haha.


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## begreen (Feb 18, 2016)

We left cold New England winters and humid, buggy summers behind when we moved out here. I still love New England but no regrets. If you move down to southern BC or Vancouver Island to retire I think you will love it.


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## begreen (Feb 18, 2016)

Well the sun is shining this morning so I took the camera out on a walk. The forsythia is just starting to open its first flowers. Daffodils are starting to open up but my wife beat me to them and they are now on the kitchen and living room tables. Hellebores are blooming nicely. Day lillies are putting on about an inch of foliage a day it would seem.


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## Seasoned Oak (Feb 20, 2016)

60 Degrees here today, another unusually warm day for Mid Febuary


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## semipro (Feb 20, 2016)

Weird weather for us as well in VA.  61 here today.
Cold then heavy snow then strong warming trend, repeat.
The swings seem wider the last few years and spring comes earlier.
I love spring but still I'm concerned.


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## Swedishchef (Feb 20, 2016)

The weather has changed in the past decade in these parts of the world. One thing is for sure..Santa had better start thinking about buying some wheels for his sled!


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## Seasoned Oak (Feb 20, 2016)

We only got one really cold spell the whole winter so far,which was last week a 5 day stretch. on track to burn about half the usual amount of solid fuel.


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## mass_burner (Feb 20, 2016)

begreen said:


> Looks like spring is going to be early again here this year. Quite a contrast to 4 years ago. Our hummingbird feeders are getting crowded and tiny leaves are starting to show on some of the native bushes. Crocuses are out too. Here's a touch of color.
> (Yes Virginia, that's a honeybee in the third picture)
> 
> View attachment 174907
> ...


BG, I was surprised to see a these little guys all over our back yard today. Are these where saffron comes from?


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## begreen (Feb 21, 2016)

Saffron comes from a special crocus that blooms in late fall - crocus sativus. Plant some bulbs this spring if you want to start your own saffron garden. Planting and growing them is easy, it's the harvesting of the little filaments that's labor intensive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus_sativus
http://www.saffronbulbs.com/culture.htm


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## Dix (Feb 23, 2016)

Thought I was seeing thngs when  saw the day lilies popping out green buds, but when I was walking Muprh the AM, some of the daffodil's were poking their green shoots up.

Came out of the barn last night and did a double take at the lilacs ..... they were budding.

I'll take an early spring this year, for sure.


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## begreen (Mar 3, 2016)

It's official, spring is here. Just mowed the lawn.


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## Dix (Mar 3, 2016)

begreen said:


> It's official, spring is here. Just mowed the lawn.



Screw you, BG. Snow tonight and for the morning drive


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## begreen (Mar 3, 2016)

No way! This is the earliest I have ever mowed the lawn, and it really needed it. I see 60's and a 71F in the forecast for NYC next week. Hang in there.


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## Cynnergy (Mar 3, 2016)

My lawn needs mowing too.  Too wet to do it though!  Red-flowering currants are out and robins have invaded - spring is definitely here too.


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## begreen (Mar 4, 2016)

It's been record breaking soggy here too. I took advantage of a dry day with sunbreaks figuring I don't know when that will happen again.


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## begreen (Mar 4, 2016)

And now your moment of Zen. Cell phone shot from this morning on a walk. Click to enlarge.


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## CaptSpiff (Mar 12, 2016)

begreen said:


> And now your moment of Zen. Cell phone shot from this morning on a walk.



Nice. What mountain is that in the background?


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## begreen (Mar 12, 2016)

Mt Rainier. At 14,417ft it's the tallest in the continental US. Another shot with a telephoto lens and one from on the water. It's a big mountain.




To the north there is another dormant volcano, Mt. Baker. It's a little guy at 10,781ft. This is what it looks like from our porch, about 90 miles away. Seattle is in the foreground 25 miles away.


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## CaptSpiff (Mar 12, 2016)

Those are some pretty peaks! 

We have mountains on Long Island, but they're all covered in vinyl with methane recovery piping.


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## begreen (Mar 12, 2016)

I grew up back east where a mountain was 3000 ft.


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## sportbikerider78 (Mar 14, 2016)

You don't realize how much the east sucks till you do some traveling.

I don't know what you mean by early spring 'again'.  It wasn't an early spring for me last year.  I had 4' of snow on the ground in March.


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## begreen (Mar 14, 2016)

We've had early starts to spring for a couple years in a row now. This is a plum blossoming early March last year.


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## Knots (Mar 25, 2016)

20 F and raining here today.  I'd post a picture, but I'm sure you all know what a glazed donut looks like...


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## maple1 (Mar 26, 2016)

Uh yeah, winter is hanging on around here - although not to the extreme of last year. THANKFULLY.


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## begreen (Mar 26, 2016)

Looks like we are finally getting more than a one day dry spell. Next week is supposed to be sunny and in the 60's. Looks like we will finally be able to get out in the garden and do something besides weeding.


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## sportbikerider78 (Mar 28, 2016)

Looks like some weird cool weather for the midwest and some of the northeast.  I think Polar Vortex is the term they are using.  15- 30F under normal temps for a little while.


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## Lake Girl (Mar 28, 2016)

Temperatures dropping by next weekend ... 30F/-1C for daytime highs.  Mix of snow and rain slated for Wednesday ... my preference is either snow or rain.  The combination usually leads to accidents

My kids are coming back from Thailand where it is 84F/29C today  Somehow, I don't think they'll be happy with the weather back in Canada


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## blacktail (Mar 30, 2016)

I mowed the yard yesterday...again. It was my second mowing. Planted the garden this morning.


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## begreen (Mar 30, 2016)

It's a great relief to see this high building over western WA. Soil is finally starting to dry out. We didn't have a fire today and probably won't at least until the weekend?


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## begreen (Apr 3, 2016)

Some spring colors


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## sportbikerider78 (Apr 4, 2016)

I've got almost a foot of snow.  12F tonight.


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## Seasoned Oak (Apr 4, 2016)

Was 72 on friday, snowing on sunday in bright sunshine, first time i ever saw that in 60 yrs.


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## blades (Apr 4, 2016)

Sat 3" in the morning mostly melted or got rain off by 1 pm went to the store cross town around 3 pm.   1 /2 way there arctic whiteout for a good 5 miles then broke out of it into bright sunshine. Sat night about 19 deg.  so Sun. started out cold but was 62 deg by 2pm. Temp dropped overnight 20 something this morning High around 30 currently light snow showers.  Might get back to 50 by the weekend.


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## Wildo (Apr 4, 2016)

Having a garden now is cruel of you people out west and down south...  I won't have one for two more months.  

Currently 0 f nighttime  and low 20s f daytime...


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## blacktail (Apr 5, 2016)

I'm not a fan of warm weather. I was pulling weeds tonight and the mosquitoes are already bad. On the news they're calling for 78° Thursday and making it sound like a good thing. Makes me want to barf. If it's 78 in early April, what's it gonna be like in July?


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## Knots (Apr 5, 2016)

The spring color here is white.  It's pretty darn cold also.  I thought I was going to have a problem burning all of my punky and odd-shaped wood before summer, but it'll all go and some of the good stuff too.


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## begreen (Apr 5, 2016)

Warming up, slowly but surely here.


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## begreen (Apr 5, 2016)

Asparagus have started popping up too.


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## blacktail (Apr 9, 2016)

I have potatoes, garlic, and onions coming up in the garden already. 

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk


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## Knots (Apr 10, 2016)

20.  It was 20 here this morning.  Everyone is going about their business in their spring clothes, but it doesn't change the fact that it's 20.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 10, 2016)

Went 3 hours north to Lac Megantic, Québec yesterday to have lunch at the Cabaña au Sucre ... it was like going to a whole other country  ... felt and looked like they were 2-3 weeks behind us with snow on the ground in places and it was spitting snow while we were there.


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## Knots (Apr 10, 2016)

firefighterjake said:


> Went 3 hours north to Lac Megantic, Québec yesterday to have lunch at the Cabaña au Sucre ... it was like going to a whole other country  ... felt and looked like they were 2-3 weeks behind us with snow on the ground in places and it was spitting snow while we were there.


OK - that puts it in perspective.  20 and dry is nooooo problem.


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