how early is spring? ask the usa national phenology network

The title of this post gives the game away but I will pose  the question anyway. ‘What do Croatia, USA, Germany, UK, Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland, Poland any several other central European countries have in common?’

No other plant native to South Carolina has such fragrant and beautiful spring blooms and stunning fall color as the witch-alders. Fothergilla was named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English physician and gardener who funded the travels of John Bartram through the Carolinas in the 1700’s. These beautiful shrubs have been planted in both American and English gardens for over 200 years, including gardens of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, is a popular celebration in the United States, due to the number of Americans, 10.5%, with Irish heritage. One million Irish emigrated to North America, Australia, or other parts of Great Britain in the mid-1800s because of the potato disease now known as late blight. Late blight, caused by the water mold, Phytophthora infestans, destroyed the Irish potato crops in 1845 through 1849 and caused the Irish Potato Famine. Another one million people died from hunger or disease.

Virginia creeper is a native North American, deciduous vine, which can easily climb 30 feet or higher. Its tendrils end in oval shaped disks that adhere to surfaces and can damage stucco, the mortar between bricks, and painted surfaces. This highly adaptable plant grows in full sun to full shade. Grown as a groundcover, it can provide erosion control on slopes. Virginia creeper is very drought tolerant and a vigorous grower. To control the spread of this somewhat aggressive vine, prune, mow, or weed whack in the spring.

Virginia copperleaf is a tall, branched summer annual that can grow three feet tall. It takes its name from the copper colored leaves of its late summer color. This weed is a North American native that is found from Maine to Georgia and as far west as Texas and north to South Dakota. It is a member of the spurge family and is poisonous, but it does not have the milky sap that is typical of other family members. The simple leaves are oppositely arranged on the stems when the plant is a young seedling, but they change to an alternate arrangement as the weed matures.

Smilax vines go by the common names greenbrier or catbrier due to the thorns covering their stems. There are 300 to 350 smilax species worldwide. Approximately twenty-four species are native to North America, with fifteen species growing in South Carolina. Smilax grows well in moist shade and is an important food source and habitat for wildlife, including birds, rabbits, and deer.

One of my favorite trees is the Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). I love how the flowers emerge before the foliage, adding a pop of color to the landscape in early spring. Plus, they provide nectar and pollen for pollinating insects active early in the growing season. As I have gotten older and wiser, I enjoy and notice the outside world around me more. If I could redo anything, it would be to learn this lesson earlier in life. Maybe you already find yourself taking note of the world around you? Or perhaps you wish you took more time to enjoy the little things, like an Eastern redbud in bloom. Either way, there is an exciting opportunity for you and/or your family to participate in a Citizen Science project.

Mother’s Day is the kickoff to National Women’s Health Week each year. The initiative encourages women and girls to make their health a priority. The CDC has found that women make up two out of three caregivers in the United States. This means women who are caregivers provide daily or regular support to children, adults, or those with chronic illnesses or disabilities. Women who have a role as a caregiver are at a greater risk of developing poor physical and mental health. To reduce this risk, women can practice preventive care. Preventive care can minimize the risk of chronic diseases and help detect any issues early so that a treatment plan can be made.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream! July is National Ice Cream Month, including National Ice Cream Day, which is always on the third Sunday of July. This year we’re celebrating on July 17th, 2022!

June is recognized as National Dairy Month, which started in 1937 to promote drinking milk. It is a great way to start the summer with nutrient-rich dairy foods, including milk, yogurt, or cheese. It can also be either lactose-free milk and fortified soy milk or yogurt. Fat-free or low-fat dairy would be more beneficial to most people.

Quick backstory: You may remember Charley, co-author of my most-used field guide “Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates,” from our recent interview about galls and leaf mines, two of his specialties.(I’m giving away two more copies; enter by commenting in the form way down at the bottom of this page, after reading the entry details in the tinted box just before that. The book can help you to know what you are seeing when you look closer, too—kind of like always having Charley by your side.)When that story ran, Charley had noticed a photo I used to accompany it–of a squiggly “leaf mine” I’d observed in my Asian-native big-leaved perennial called Petasites. He’d wondered if it was caused by the insect that feeds in a few different genera in the tribe Senecioneae (including some native American botanical cousins of Petasites).  Why don’t you come try to find out, I’d suggested—and while you’re here, why don’t we have a

A NOTHER SELECTION FROM MY EARLIEST PROSE, circa 1961, unearthed in a bout of housecleaning here this winter. This one earned me a star (which seems just right for a penmanship exercise about space travel), and marked the day the first American, Alan Shepard (who in 1971 would walk on the moon) went up in space.