Warming days and drier soil leads me to multiple days of Spring cleanup. The remnants of Winter are raked away to make room for the emerging growth. I always know it is time once the larger daffodil (Narcissus) and tulip (Tulipa) leaves start to penetrate the leaf litter. If I don’t get the Fall leaves up now, it will be too destructive and difficult to rake in a few days.
The leaves are still a bit wet and heavy. Each pass reveals growth appearing bleached; it will green up in a few days once the sun warms it. Though no worms are on the ground, flies and gnats swarm nearby, recently hatched. I am grateful for the light breeze.
Circling our house, we find many surprises. There is still many seeds on the coneflowers (Echinacea), yet to be eaten. Juana and I liberate a few to rest on the nearby soil. Raking under a spirea, I notice a tiny bird’s nest with a delicate weave of differing grasses that has survived Winter. Perhaps it will be reoccupied this Spring.
The flowering quince (Chaenomeles) still has Fall’s fruiting remains on it. This pocketed bright orange orb looks more like slime than a festering fruit. The bush should slough it off soon.
