Happy Spring!
Spring is in the air and if you live in Florida and or most of the United States, your allergies have already informed you of the season. This year was almost a perfect storm in Florida where we had much colder weather for a lot longer than even close to normal and it appears that all of our pollen laden plants and trees are blooming at once! Yikes. As one who suffers this malady, the only advice I can give is to see your Dr if you have severe symptoms. If you are just on the slightly miserable side, make sure to keep the windows and doors closed. I am hearing screaming now as that is what you want to do. So do I. I love getting fresh air in the house after being shuttered all winter, but that just brings more of the pollen in and ads to our symptoms. Wash the linens frequently, wash yourself and your hair before going to bed and be extra careful about exercising early in the morning or late at night when the pollen in the air can be at its worst.
Not all is bad news, the birds are chirping in the trees, the bird feeders are out and filled. It is such a joy to see all of the different ones as they migrate from the South to our Northern states at this time of year. Some will be staying longer and having families, so be on the lookout as the new chicks start to learn how to fly. We have our pair of ducks that have been making their annual pilgrimmage for the last 10 years at least. You might ask how can we tell that it is the same couple? We can because the female has a malformed left foot so she hobbles as she waddles around. It does not impact her with her swimming or flying that we can tell.
Another wonderful thing is that the butterfly garden is coming in to full bloom. I love to watch as the different butterflies flutter about sipping the nectar and laying their eggs. Soon we will have baby catepillars chopping away at the variety of host plants that we have in our garden. Sometimes it seems like we can’t keep up with their appetites. Once the catepillars have matured, they will start migrating to a place to build their cocoon. Some cocoons are so beautiful, it is a joy to watch. Then in about 10 days to two weeks a new butterfly will emerge and the cycle will begin once again.
This leads me to a butterfly blog that I want to share with you. The address is http://lepcurious.blogspot.com. It is a blog about one of Tampa’s treasures, the Museum of Science and Industry or MOSI. They have their own butterfly garden for everyone to see, just in case they don’t have the space, time or energy to have one at their home. I have to be honest, it is addictive. This is my third year of being a butterfly gardener. They become just like children that you want to protect. Click on their blog and enjoy.