The scurs had a little more success this week, getting the Weather Eye to produce a 50-degree high for us last Sunday. Is Old Man Winter done with his tricks or does he have a few up his sleeve yet? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Sunny Thursday with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Sunny on Good Friday with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly sunny on Easter Sunday with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a fair chance of rain showers late. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the upper 40’s. On April 7th, we creep over 13 hours of daylight. The normal high for April 7th is 51 and the normal low is 32. The scurs are hoping the Easter Bunny is as generous as Cupid was on Valentine’s Day.

Another setback with an April Fools’ Day snowfall. Fortunately the 5” or so of snow didn’t last long, but it did contain plenty of moisture to go along with the rain that fell just prior to that. With the snow melt, most places were reporting 2+” of precip. It showed in area river and stream levels as well as ponds and wetlands. Tile lines are running, indicating our soil profile has been recharged fairly well. The frost is largely out, even though ice remains on lakes and larger ponds. Sunday afternoon at the ranch, there was a large puddle about 4” deep on the north side of the house. By the time we finished evening chores, the puddle had disappeared. As long as we can continue getting warmer temperatures, we’re still on track for a reasonable start to spring planting. Next week promises to be even a little warmer with some mention of 70 degree highs in the forecast. No major rainfall predicted either. Promises, promises…  

Spring was definitely in the air when the Boy Entomologist brought a supply of pheromone sticky traps for us to set out once the weather behaves itself. Installing them has become an annual rite of spring. I have no idea how long I’ve been trapping cutworm moths, although I know it’s spanned parts of several decades. Once the cold and snow leave, the traps are placed in their usual spots. Then every morning after chores the traps are monitored for incoming flights of moths migrating from the south. The armyworm trap is a more recent addition, and at minimum, it satisfies my curiosity. Traps for both species are part of a larger trapping network, so it’s interesting to see what others are observing. Best of all, they provide some correlation to potential outbreaks once trap captures reach critical levels. Some years that never happens. A watched pot never boils.

I’ve had some questions over the years about the flies that come to life in the house as we get closer to spring. Most likely these are cluster flies. These fall nuisance flies come inside through cracks, gaps, and other small openings. Some eventually gain access to your living space when warmer temperatures arrive and awaken them from their hiding places. While they can be a nuisance, they are harmless. They are actually parasitic on earthworms, laying their eggs in cracks in the soil. The eggs hatch and the resulting maggots infest earthworms. There are two to three generations per year. Along with multi-colored Asian ladybeetles, their favorite places to expire if they don’t get back outside include window frames and light fixtures. My Mom spent many hours cleaning both species out of the light panels in the suspended ceiling, sometimes at 2 a.m. mind you.

The pussy willow harvest is underway at the ranch. Last week, they were still sheltering themselves from the cold. This week however, the fuzzy catkins were emerging from the buds and looking much showier than just a week ago. They should last a while and, as was found the past several seasons, there are male and female plants in the wetland. The males generally are the first out of the block and provide the nicest catkins. The females can also be decent, but the window to harvest them is narrower. Pussy willows are unique in that they require insects to pollinate them. Since they are so early, there are few other plants flowering at that time. They are favorites of many of the early season bees and flies as a result. The leaves are also a food source to mourning cloak and viceroy butterfly larvae, making them not only valuable as ornamentals, but for pollinator habitat as well.

The spring bird migration has been nothing short of spectacular thus far. It’s been years since I’ve seen so many huge flocks of red-winged blackbirds at the ranch. Same with the waterfowl. Sure, some years I’ve seen token numbers of swans along with the occasional flock of snows and blues, but this year has been different. This reminds me of my days living in the flyway of North Dakota. Several times there have been large groups of swans in fields, not just where you might expect to see them, but close to home. The snows and blues have been in larger flocks as well. The relative newcomers are the white-fronted geese or speckle-bellies as they’re nicknamed. There have been numerous large flocks of them passing over the ranch. Are we seeing a shift in migration patterns? Perhaps, but it may be the spring. Our snowpack is largely nonexistent, while to the north it remains very deep and still accumulating in northern parts of the state. We are seeing more no-till soybeans and rye cover crops, providing more potential feeding areas. Others have mentioned the same things. Studies show…    

Poppy seems to be growing up sometimes and other times, not so much. She still likes to chew things up, including blankets, pillows, slippers, and just about anything else she can get into when we aren’t looking. Not long ago I took a shower and since I’d just put on a fresh pair of underwear, I left them in the closet. I didn’t remember to close the bedroom door, however. When I finished showering and put the underwear back on, they were wet! Not only that, my behind felt cold because Poppy had chewed a big hole through the backside. Not to worry. Auntie Mar Mar and Unkie Gregory heard of my plight and came to the rescue. I received new underwear for my birthday! With friends like that…

See you next week…real good then.