By mid April, the tide of spring accelerates across the Heartland. A higher sun, longer days and increased precipitation feed an explosion of life, led by a greening of the landscape and the rebirth of insects. Dogwoods and redbuds paint the woodlands, fruit trees bloom and leaves unfurl across the canopy.
As the risk of cold weather fades to the north, reptiles and amphibians emerge from their winter retreats and the birds of summer arrive from the south. Young cottontails explore our lawns, nests appear in our shade trees and squadrons of chimney swifts strafe our evening skies. A chorus of birdsong, building since late February, fills the morning air, dominated by the homesick tune of white-throated sparrows, soon to leave for Canada.
We humans are also caught in this wave of spring. Stirred from our winter malaise, we open the windows, molt to our work clothes and rejoin the natural world. Children of the tropics, we bid farewell to indoor life and prepare for our season in the sun.
