Now that April is here, we begin to look for some of the first signs of spring flowers. Some of those are quite small and difficult to see. Certain shrubs […] ...

After sowing seeds of beets, arugula, Swiss chard and leeks, I sat on my small white wooden bench to watch. Within minutes a black and white king snake slithered by my foot sending shivers up my spine ...

bits of fluff appear along the branches of some willow shrubs, silvery gray and as soft to the touch as a kitten’s paw. They may seem furry, but these are actually the flower buds of pussy ...

Their once-naked branches are now adorned with fresh lime-green buds and leaves. This stretch of young blackthorn, birch, holly, hawthorn, hazel, sessile oak, guelder rose, grey willow ...

What I was actually looking for was willow catkins — pussy willows ... In the meantime, their leaf buds are beginning to swell. I could see a hint of green under the amber surface of several ...