On the Road: Spring is here

There was a ladybug on my camera strap. It was trundling along the edge of it as it lay on the ground, a bright orange and black dot that moved quickly on its six little legs. I’d watched it fly in from a stalk of dry grass and land on the strap, pull its wings under its shell and start beetling along.

It was the first one I’ve seen this year. I was lying on a hillside right in the middle of the city as the beetle flew in. The day was sunny and the wind was light.



People were walking their dogs on the ridge above me but if they noticed me lying there, neither they nor their pups paid me any attention. Nor did they pay any attention to what I was photographing. It was a crocus, the first one I’ve seen this year.

Can’t really blame them for not paying attention to that. Had I not known where to look and been searching diligently, I never would have found it. Fortunately, I’ve been coming to this place for a couple decades now and the plants never change locations.

I was also lucky this particular flower was open. Lying down to get as close as possible — crocuses don’t get all that tall at this time of year — I could see the rest of the cluster still had their fuzzy sepals closed up. Another warm day and they’d all be open but for now there was just the one.

With the sun beaming down its radiant heat, it was warm close to the ground and I could smell the damp soil and dry grass that surrounded the bloom. And it was warm enough for insects to be on the move. Inside the cup of the flower I could see tiny, dark flecks moving among the stamens, minuscule, nearly microscopic winged insects.

Not sure what they are. But it was the ladybugs that caught my eye. Hard to miss them, bright as they are.

And they were everywhere. After seeing that first one, I began to notice them scuttling through the grass and flying around, at least a half-dozen of them within arm’s reach. Crazy hard to photograph, these guys are quick! But as I followed them around I noticed other things, too.

Like the new shoots of green grass and the unfurling leaves of some of the perennials that share this hillside with the crocuses. They, along with the warm sun, the bugs and that wonderful earthy scent down close to the ground are things that hint spring might actually be here. And spring things like those are getting more common every day.

Especially the feathered things. Leaving the house the next morning to go look for migrators I was greeted by the sound of a robin calling out its territorial tune. Flickers were singing, too, as were the magpies and sparrows.

It wasn’t quite to the level of the dawn chorus that comes later in the season but it was a great way to start the day..