March 2025 Backyard Bulletin

Cover photo by Stacey Matthews

View the full edition at this link.

Winter, as it begins, provides a welcome pause button on nature's annual narrative. Seasonal changes slow their pace, and dormancy generates wonderful opportunities for coziness, reflection, and stillness. By the end of winter, however, that same dormancy generates different feelings for me. There's this sense of confinement, of monotony, and as we cross the threshold of the equinox, I begin to feel like a bee buzzing around in a jar. I imagine plants and other animals feel similarly. Then, one fateful day, a patch of bare ground emerges on the valley floor; it's like Mother Nature has kindly removed the lid and all the living things can relish their newfound liberty! The grass can grow, the flowers can bloom, the birds can sing, and I can ride my bicycle in the warmth of the noonday sun. Helloooo springtime!

-Bridger Layton, Education Programs Manager