Thinking of - and wishing for - spring
Photos by Don Bartling Looking north from the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge wetlands toward Canada, the Selkirk Mountains and Mount Hall. The ground was clearly covered in snow which has been there for most of the winter, but now it is March and it is time for a change.
Elk and geese foraging in a field on the snow, west of Bonners Ferry, anxious for spring.
“It’s spring fever. This is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
— Mark Twain
Has spring sprung here in Boundary County? Well, no. The only thing you can be sure of about the weather around here is that every year it will be different. Recently I drove along the Kootenai River to Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge and looked north toward Canada, the Selkirk Mountains and Mount Hall. The ground was clearly covered in snow, which has been there for most of the winter, but now it is March and it is time for a change, although it has been slow in coming.
Spring is the time of year when everything in nature is changing and promising new life and new hope. After the long dark winter months, spring is literally a “breath of fresh air!” And as the days get longer, the nights get shorter and it starts to feel warmer, causing Mother Nature to respond in a big way.
Just stepping outside on a spring day can be rewarding with a crescendo of bird songs, a display of flowers bursting into a colorful display and the welcome sight of animals not seen since last year. Animals that spent the winter in hibernation come out of their dens, while those that traveled to warmer regions return. Many animals give birth in the spring. Winter coats are shed by those that sported them, and some animals may change coloration to blend in with their new surroundings.
Nature is busiest in the spring with millions of birds migrating. The first bumble bee out of hibernation or butterfly flying over the lawn is as welcome a sight as the spring blossom of fruit trees, cherries, plums and apples signal the end of winter and the beginning of new life.
I am ready for that spring smell. I love to inhale the earthy spring fragrance that the land produces in March. It is equal parts rain and soil, grass and ozone, creating a perfume that no amount of chemical wizardry can replicate. Sometimes I like to stand outside early in the morning with my nose pointed skyward, eyes closed, breathing deeply, and think, “now this is Boundary County, almost heaven.”
Look on the bright side: winter is about over and spring is nearly here. As winter turns into spring take a walk in the countryside and enjoy the beauty of Boundary County.