March – Phenology at Home

The sky is a vibrant shade of blue as the fully-bloomed forsythia bush presents an early sign of spring and warm weather.

For my phenology assignment at home, I am lucky enough to do my own backyard. My yard has a wide assortment of trees, flowers, and wildlife, and I am able to go outside and experience the wonderful spring beauty whenever I wish. Throughout the month of March, there has been a variety of different kinds of weather and plant and animal activity; spring has certainly sprung. This month has been surprisingly warm throughout the majority of days, and an early spring came with sun and blooming plants which would normally still be dormant. The forsythia bush is my backyard is in full bloom and has continued to bud despite changing weathers and temperatures; a variety of wildlife shelters or feeds on this plant: squirrels, rabbits, robins, bluejays, and other animals have all perched on or below the flowering branches of the forsythia bush, and it is wonderful to watch from inside my house. Other plants have bloomed in the month of March; daffodils and crocuses line the fence of my backyard, and they have grown throughout the month. Other plants have continued to grow and bud but haven’t yet bloomed, despite warm and sunny weather; the violet bush in the front of my hard has budded significantly early, and the general greenery of my yard is more advanced than usually expected at this time. The grass is greening and trees all around are beginning to bud.

The forsythia bush in my backyard is blooming fully and had buds still opening up in the sunlight – the bright colors present a lovely natural view from indoors and outside of my home. This bush provides a refuge for small animals such as birds like bluejays and mammals like squirrels.
Crocuses are in full bloom or are still in the process of budding; these small flowers have persisted despite fluctuating temperatures and have continued to grow.
Daffodils are another flower that has lasted through warm temperatures and snow showers; although the flowers have begun to wilt, their normal growing season in my backyard isn’t long anyway, so their presence has been typical of the season.

Around the 20th of March, there were occasional snow showers; in my notes, I recorded that on the 23rd, there were light showers, and there had been earlier in the week, as well. The snow covered everything with a light sheet of white, and its arrival was unexpected due to previous nice weather. The whiteness disappeared either overnight or in a few days, and the brief recollection of winter was quickly forgotten as sunshine fell onto the landscape yet again. The soil outside is still in the process of unfreezing after cold temperatures and periods of snow, so when I walked through my backyard, certain areas were softer than others; where the sunlight can hit the earth, the soil was more compacted by my footsteps than shady or covered patches of dirt, which had more resistance. This month, despite some weather fluctuations, has been very nice, and I hope the good temperatures and natural beauty continue to escalate during the spring months.

In mid-March, we received a few scattered snow showers, despite previous warm temperatures and sunny weather. Pictured above is my dog, Macie, lounging on the couch with a view of snow-covered trees outside after a brief snow shower.
My field notes for March – March 23rd and March 31st.