The Vernal Equinox...Spring is here!

Today is the Vernal Equinox...the first day of spring. Click on Equinox for the Farmer's Almanac explanation of what that means! In Ireland that day is February 1st! 

For me it means more blossoming trees and flowers, hummingbirds flitting through the trees, Monarch butterflies are fluttering over the flowers as they break out of their winter beds, and the air is warming up and the sky is full of sunshine! When I was growing up in the Midwest, spring was a blink of an eye and a sweet atmospheric change that burst into colors from the drab winter days. 

This year in California it is warmer than usual, less rain as we squeak by with the little rain water that fell. But the beautiful blossoming trees are one by one according to their kind as in Genesis, the first book in the Bible, are displaying their floral clothing, first bright pinks both deep and rosy or pale and delicate, then the dazzling white blossoming trees, yellow forsythia all pop out in a glorious visual feast while deep purple velvety iris, bright yellow daffodils, and snowy white lilies all grace the ground and lawns of tiny allisum and yellow flowered ground covers spread over the empty grass of winter.

Bill McKibben's production linking our violent environment lately to climate change.

In his usual genius, Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, has produced a moving and provocative video linking our violent environmental events on earth lately to climate change in a very thoughtful way.

Winter Solstice ~ 2010 ~ A Lunar Eclipse!

This is a special year, 2010, not only the worst year for weather catastrophes in 100 years, but a lunar eclipse for the Winter Solstice! Hope you will be able to observe it from where you are!

Winter and Spring at the same time.

I was without my camera the last two days, but I want to record the amazing weather experience of Silicon Valley this year. We just received a thorough drenching for about a week, up to 11 inches in parts of the Santa Cruz Mts., something like 7-8 inches here in San Jose. I was sick for the duration, staying inside. The first sunny day, Wednesday, I was feeling more up to par and took off to appointments and meetings. I noticed the foliage, just some magnolia trees beginning to open their flowers, noting there was one I wanted to capture on my camera in a few days. When I was finished, at the end of the day, traveling along the same route home I was astounded by an amazing array of blooming trees which always take my breath away every year. Fully in bloom, dazzling white blossoms and rich pink blossomed trees marked the whole way home. The combination of rain and warm sunshine apparently forced the trees into an immediate and early awakening...one day! Then when I got home there at the end of the back road behind my house were the peaks rising above the rooftops...covered with snow!! The temp must have been 68 degrees.

Soon I will have some of these trees on my camera and can share them here. Just had to share this part with you...a lovely nature head-turner in the Valley.