I know snow and rain is in the forecast for the weekend, but today, it’s spring here in Calgary! The sun is dazzling and warm and the earth is finally thawing out. There’s even some green grass in places….
I’ve been on crocus watch for awhile now – while the horticultural crocuses in my garden have been up and blooming for a couple of weeks now, I haven’t spotted hide nor hair of a wild one. I went up to Nose Hill this morning, thinking that today was the day for sure. I went to my favourite trails, the places I knew they were growing…and I found one where there used to be hundreds. It may be too early yet, and perhaps they’ll be covering the hillsides next week or the week after, but I was overjoyed to see this one!
It froze hard this morning, and I loved the way the mounds of grass looked on the lower slopes where the sun hadn’t warmed them.
That’s part of the downtown skyline in the morning haze. And here I was telling my parents last weekend that we don’t have smog – my brother is right, we actually do….
As you can see, there’s a sizeable snowpack still up in the mountains…and it’s got everyone just a bit worried about the potential for another massive flood like we had last year. On the right hand side of the photo, you can see the ski jumps of Canada Olympic Park, constructed for use during the 1988 Winter Olympics and now used as a public ski hill as well as a place to train athletes. In the summer, COP is a haven for mountain bikers and zipline enthusiasts, and there’s even a luge track you can try out. (Not me – I’m too chicken!). The mini golf course there is much more my speed, LOL.
I came across several browses for deer and some others I suspect were from porcupines. It was really a lean winter for wildlife – we didn’t get the Chinooks we usually do and so the heavy snow cover lingered all season. Apparently that’s part of the reason so many homeowners are complaining about the vole damage to their lawns – the rodents were able to hunker down and feed and nest there all winter, when normally they would be exposed. (Click here for some tips to repair vole damaged turf).
On my way out of the park, I was happy to see these two ducks swimming on the catchwater basin. I was starting to think that little pond would never thaw out.
And then when I got home…there was a bee on my one of my muscari flowers, which just began opening this morning. I definitely need to put in more early spring flowers for the pollinators.
What a wonderful start to the day! I hope the sun is shining wherever you are!
Flowery Prose 
Really one of the most beautiful pictures of a flower I have ever seen. Thank you for that.
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you liked it. 🙂 Hope your weekend has been wonderful!
Some lovely photos, nature is fantastic in its resilience. Glad spring is on its way for you.
Thank you! I am so happy that things are finally starting to turn away from winter…the sunshine and warmth feels fantastic!
We may have seen a peak at spring and hopefully it hangs around. Love the photo of the grasses laying down. So cool. Also, ducks arriving back for spring is a favourite treat. Those two fellows are gorgeous.
I was so pleased to see the ducks – they were definitely handsome! I’m hoping the weather settles down a bit this week…it’s been so unstable. Hopefully the snow will stay away from Alberta for a few months now!
Have a fabulous, fun week! 🙂
Lovely photos, flowers and the tuffs of grass….if you get a chance, visit the south facing slopes of Bowmont Natural Environment Park to see many crocus….
Thanks so much! I had so wanted to get out to Bowmont last week, but couldn’t…but I’ve made a promise to myself to head over there in the next couple of days! Have a fantastic week!
I did enjoy being with you on your walk. 🙂 The sun is shining here and we have the equivalent of your chinook wind, which is rather odd for this time of year.
Glad to hear you’ve been having some sunshine! Hope you enjoyed a beautiful weekend and that your week goes well! 🙂
Thanks Sheryl and the same to you.
Beautiful spring photos! I live just north of Calgary – the deer devoured my tulips and grape hyacinths before they could even contemplate flowering. The voles have riddled the lawn and eaten much of the pasque and dianthus. I haven’t seen any bees yet, but there are oodles of ladybugs hiding in the dead leaves!
Oh no – those pesky deer and voles! I know they had such a hard winter, too, but it’s absolutely heartbreaking when they eat your plants! 😦 I’m really happy to see the amount of ladybugs I have so far, that’s a good sign if it’s a bad aphid summer.
Yes, I’m seeing lots of ladybugs too.
So glad you are finally getting a taste of spring! Have a lovely (sunny) weekend! 😀
We had more snow yesterday but today the sun and blue sky made a very welcome appearance! The weather is so unstable right now, it’s hard to know what kind of outerwear to put on when you leave the house for work in the morning! 🙂 Hope you had a spectacular weekend!
Wow, your photos are beautiful!
How do you cope with such long winters?
Thank you very much!
The past couple of years, I’ve had a hard time with the long winter months – last year, we actually had snow eight months out of twelve, which is brutal (and especially if you’re a gardener!). I do try to get out and snowshoe and cross-country ski, but mostly, I just read a lot of books…. 🙂
Ah that sounds like a good way to cope!
I know where I’m from (Ireland) doesn’t get very cold but they have very wet winters and very dark too, I always found the darkness hardest to deal with in wintertime.
Here in France it’s so much sunnier! 🙂
I know I would find the darkness hard to deal with… on the west coast of B.C., like Ireland, they have so much rain and little sun. At least here, even if it’s bitterly cold and snowy, we get a fair amount of sunshine (Calgary is the sunniest city in Canada).
I think I would really enjoy the winters in France! 🙂
Your photo’s are incredible. Love them, and love that Spring is here!!
Thank you so much! And I’m with you – I’m positively thrilled that spring has finally arrived!
Looks like spring is peeking out. Wild crocuses? I’ve only thought them as a cultivated bulb, I don’t think we them here. We have the other spring blooms in mass, but I’d love to see wild crocuses. Sun is hit or miss here, but when it’s out, it’s wonderful.
I love the wild crocuses for their beautiful colour and that “hairy” look – they need all that protection from the ice and cold! Every year, it’s such a treat to find them in the grasses on the slopes. They are a symbol of spring to me. Glad you’re getting a little bit of sunshine there – I second your “hit or miss” statement, that’s totally how it is here, too! 🙂
Hi! Thank you for liking my post and following my blog! Thought I’d come and take a look. Boy, it looks so cold still! And we are complaining of cold here in England! Lovely photos, especially the ducks. I look forward to seeing what gardening is like on the other side of the world from us!
Thank you so much! I’m really happy to have found your blog and look forward to all your posts! 🙂
Isn’t it amazing how a walk in the sun can rejuvenate you?! You found some beautiful treasures along the way and captured them beautifully, too!
Thank you so much! It’s true, just being out there felt incredible! Like a mini-holiday…. 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful week!
I love your first photo, we still have some nights near freezing, spring seems in no hurry this year.
You’re right – winter is definitely lingering…oh well, we’ll be so delighted when the warm weather finally comes to stay and it will seem all the more special! 🙂
These are all lovely, and in particular the one of the frosty grasses and in the duck shots, the reflection of the reeds in the water.
Spring was here over the weekend in my part of the world … today cold and pouring with flood watches!
I hope the weather has warmed up (and gotten a little less wet) for you this week! Snow is in the forecast here for us again this weekend…I had hoped to get some gardening chores in after a super-busy week, but it looks like I will have to wait! Have a wonderful weekend!
Great post! I loved the Ducks and your Grape Hyacinth in last shot was awesome timing I made some of these in watercolor class tonight 🙂
Thanks! You’ve been busy with your painting…I’ve really enjoyed the ones you’ve posted photos of on your blog! Beautiful work!
Thanks so much more like a 2 yr old playing lol but I am having fun 🙂
Superb pictures!!! I love the one with the ducks…amazing colors and clear picture. It still looks very cold at your place. Hugs
Thank you! Yes, it’s still not altogether pleasant here – one day it is nice and warm, the next, there is snow and cold rain. Very spring-like, I guess! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend, enjoy!
We are a bit further south, in the Appalachian Mountains (West Virginia). Winter held on a long time this year. Few flowers and fruit trees bloomed, well into April, when we would usually see them at the end of March. Our ducks did not even bother laying eggs until mid-April, instead of January the year before. Now, the color is coming out nicely. Enjoy the thaw.
Oscar
Glad spring and all of it’s beauty is finally making an appearance there! It’s interesting to observe the differences in the weather from year to year, all across the continent (and the world). It seems that the past couple of winters have been so cold and full of snow here – we don’t normally get snow that lasts for months at a time (it may fall over a period of several months, but it is usually quickly eaten up by the Chinooks). It’s good to have some sunshine and warmth! Have a great weekend!