Spring

It’s not here yet. But it’s not far off, either. It’s sunny and 73° F as I type this. That’s above the normal 58° high for this date. But Spring approaching is about more than the temperature. Bradford Pear trees are blossoming with white flowers, weeds are sprouting … I even saw a honeybee perched on a dandelion. You can smell spring in the air. It’s the smell of new life growing through the crust winter left behind. The warmth, the blossoms, the smells … those are the good things about Spring. Spring comes with baggage, too. Like pollen. Lawn mowing. Sidewalk edging. Curb edging. Weeds. Why can’t they take DNA out of weeds and stick it into grass? I spray my yard with herbicide and the weeds come back. I put fertilizer and grass seed on my yard and still have less grass than last year.

 

<< I have a lot of this weed in my yard. I believe this weed is Persian speedwell (Veronica persica). It’s a winter annual that is common to lawns.

 

 

 

And I have a lot of this, which I believe is chickweed. Chickweed is said to be good on salads and has medicinal properties. Given the number of free-roaming cats in my neighborhood, I will definitely not be testing this weed for tastiness.

 

What lawn would be complete without dandelions? Actually, I think little yellow dandelions are kind of pretty. Some people eat dandelion greens in their salad. Some people make dandelion tea and dandelion wine. And dandelion root has medicinal properties. I’ll stick with what I can buy at the grocery and the drugstore. But if you want to eat some of my dandelions, by all means help yourself.

I have a lot of oxalis, too, but it’s not blooming yet. Oxalis likes to grow close to walls, around steps and under awnings. I think it looks decorative but to most people it’s just another weed.

When I moved into this house, I seem to remember the beginning of grass-mowing season being the beginning of May. Then it was April. Then it was early April. This year, I just mowed my front lawn for the first time, and it’s the middle of March. Who says global warming isn’t real?