Spring has sprung... or has it?

The very first sweet violets (Viola suavis) are emerging from under the dead leaves on the woodland floor.

Today is the first of March and in my mind that makes it the first day of Spring, although some might accuse me of unwarranted optimism… and indeed, this morning is decidedly and predictably unspring like. February is not my favourite month by a long chalk and I’m not sad to see it go, but it does have its positive side. On one hand, I’m ever more disgruntled by the dark dinginess of winter, on the other, I’ve already started that hectic scurrying from place to place, seeking out the first signs of the changing season. This year, the exceptionally warm weather has brought the phenology on apace and the almond trees in our village in the central Italian Apennines are now in full flower, to the shared delight of bees, butterflies, a smattering of blue tits and myself. In our local woodland, the cornel trees (Cornus mas) are bursting with vivid yellow flowers and the first courageous violets (Viola suavis) are starting to push up through the deep leaf litter. 

Even on cold days, you can sense Spring in the air.  I can feel it and so do the birds. Every step I take generates a chorus of scolding blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), great tits (Parus major) and long tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus), while green woodpeckers (Picus viridis) yaffle their territorial claims at each other from one side of the valley to the other. Go up another hundred metres or so and take a wander through the stony, arid slopes of the foothills and if you’re lucky, you’ll encounter our very own early-flowering endemic crocus, Crocus variegatus, a sure sign we’ve turned the corner.

I’ve kept the best to last though, something that will really make the eyes dance and the heart sing, or should it be the other way round? Not, of course, a crocus (but then you knew that already, didn’t you), but the spring meadow saffron (Colchicum bulbocodium) flowering flamboyantly on the upland plains of central Abruzzo where the woodlarks and stonechats chirp happily in the unseasonally warm sun.

The unglamorously named liverleaf or kidneywort (Hepatica nobilis) delighted me in a surprising encounter where I least expected it.
A flamboyant flowering of spring meadow saffron (Colchicum bulbocodium, Colchicaceae) on the upland karst plains of central Abruzzo.
The backlighting gives the cornel (Cornus mas, Cornaceae) blossoms a subtle moody feel.
Cornel (Cornus mas, Cornaceae) blossoms bring a splash of sun to the otherwise dormant oak woodland.
The endemic Crocus variegatus brings a touch of Spring to the arid upland meadows in the foothills of the Velino massif.
I have literally hundreds of images of our endemic Crocus variegatus, but I can never resist adding another when the lighting is right.
The woodland floor is alive with hundreds of juvenile Pardosa lugubris wolf spiders (Lycosidae) scurrying animatedly amongst the dry leaves and dead branches.
The snow covered mountains make a splendid backdrop for the early flowering yellow whitlow-grass (Draba aizoides, Brassicaceae) on the upland plains of Central Abruzzo.
A juvenile nursery web spider (Pisaura mirabilis, a member of the Pisauridae or hunting spider family), enjoying the tepid spring sunshine on a stinking hellebore flower..
One of the few grasshoppers to overwinter as an adult, a broad green-winged grasshopper (Aiolopus strepens) is difficult to spot among the dry oak leaves.

For my Italian-speaking friends (or anyone wanting to translate into another language), I recommend DeepL translator available clicking here or also as a browser extension for Google Chrome.

Per i miei amici di lingua italiana (o chiunque voglia tradurre in un’altra lingua), consiglio DeepL translator disponibile cliccando qui o anche come estensione per il browser Google Chrome.