More than a week after the equinox, spring has taken hold in central Missouri. Forsythias, red maples and wild cherries are blooming and the first crops of henbit, violets and dandelions are brightening the suburban lawns.
Down at the Forum Nature Area, the seasonal lakes have filled with rainwater and the duck-like chortle of leopard frogs has joined the background din of chorus frogs. Eastern bluebirds and tree swallows have paired off and are checking out the nest boxes while clouds of insects, a welcome sight to the phoebes, rise from the shallows.
This morning dawned warm and humid, with a southerly breeze and the threat of thunderstorms. Winter will surely throw a few more jabs our way but, by all accounts, spring has won the battle.
