Thursday, May 28, 2015

May 24 Spring's Progress

About a month ago in Madison, I remember marking the beginning of warm spring days with numerous sightings of small purple flowers cropping up in lawns all over town. Well, it looks like Duluth is at least 3 weeks behind for these Siberian squills (Scilla siberica), due to its more northerly latitude and proximity to Lake Superior. Although these small members of the lily family are tolerant of snow and freezing temperatures, they still need a certain amount of warmth to bloom. Back in Madison, where leaf-out seems near complete, we still have new things to look forward to. For instance, monarch butterflies are likely to return in force soon, an event that you can track on the Journey North website and by keeping an eye on the nearest milkweed patch.

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