April 2025 Backyard Bulletin

Cover photo by Bridger Layton

View the full edition at this link.

Happy Earth Day! April is such a good month, for so many reasons, and I'm sure each of you has a favorite April moment. Perhaps it's the first bright yellow buttercup or the first blooming serviceberry or the flush of balsamroot or the first burger on the grill, t-shirt on the porch, trip over Washington Pass, the-list-goes-on-but-I'm-out-of-breath. Personally, I'm fond of the moment the world turns green, and by that I mean the day that I notice the first light green cottonwood leaves wriggling out of their early spring buds, bringing life back to riparian corridors throughout the valley.

I'm so fond of this moment that on an early season drive to Seattle, upon spotting my first leaf-filled cottonwood of the season, I exclaimed "LEAVES!" so loudly that my passengers were afraid something bad had happened. A week or two later, I reached out to an old friend for the first time in years, and the first thing they said to me was, "I've been thinking about you!" Why? They said, "It's 'green week' here and that always makes me think of you." Green week, of course, is how we once referred to the moment the world turns green. A love of a leaf; what a silly and sweet thing to be remembered by! Not everything is easy this April, but nature is still serving a large helping of spring glory - so go find the silly little thing that brings you joy and savor it this Earth Day!

-Bridger Layton, Education Programs Manager