After months of a drab, winter landscape, pockets of color have appeared across central Missouri. The red maples, in bloom for two weeks, are now joined by flowering magnolias and plums. Bright, yellow forsythias dot the fence rows and swaths of daffodils, hyacinths and early tulips adorn the yards.
The greening lawns, now speckled with violets and dandelions, attract cottontails, robins and grackles while borders of honeysuckle, lilac and azalea are taking on the verdant look of spring. With heavy rain forecast over the next few days, this transition to fragrance and color will intensify and winter's grip will fade. Within a few weeks, the roar of lawnmowers will echo across our suburbs, insects will reclaim the land and the birds of summer will return from the south. Long live spring!
