Normally, it's still chilly and raw at this time of year where I live in rural Virginia. Not this spring! We've had scary 80+ degree days almost the whole month of March causing everything to pop out 2-3 weeks early. Daffodils that usually aren't blooming until early April are already spent, blossoming trees are in full flower and gardeners are scrambling to do now what in a normal spring they'd be doing next month. Everyone in my area is talking about it and worried this bodes badly for summer, too hot for too long. In addition, we've had practically no rain on top of no snow to speak of through the winter. As a matter of fact, we didn't really have winter at all because I can count on my two hands the number of days we woke to frost...
Climate change worries and disturbing trends: Bat colonies are being decimated by a fungal problem; sadly our bat house is empty and there was no sign last year of the bats we used to enjoy watching all summer at dusk as they looped and lunged after insects.
Most worrisome is the plight of the honeybee. Beekeepers out in my area are very concerned about what we are doing to the health and well-being of this crucial pollinator. Two books I have just purchased upon a friend/beekeeper recommendation tell the story of the dangers we face if the honeybee colonies collapse: Fruitless Fall by Rowan Jacobsen [visit his website at www.rowanjacobsen.com] and Robbing the Bees by Holley Bishop, both available from Amazon.
So as I prepare to plant my summer vegetable garden, I'll be thinking about the balance of nature and the wonderfully mysterious ways everything is supposed to work together. We humans have messed things up for too long, lacking respect for nature and this wonderful planet!! Let's hope it isn't too late to set things right...
No comments:
Post a Comment