I thought this stretch of warm weather might be a fluke, but
Mother Nature, who is infinitely more wise about such things,
seems to think it's here to stay, because everything is in bloom
and growing like crazy. It goes a bit beyond that, though. I'm
seeing daffodils moving past the bloom stage and into the
deadhead stage... which is typically a late April activity around
here. Redbud trees are out in their bright purple spectacle...
not too far off the mark, maybe a week or two early, but still
early. I got bit by a mosquito last night, and the mosquito
population doesn't usually pick up until late May. It feels and
sounds like May, actually. Out on the porch in the evening, the
air swells with the sound of bullfrogs and mockingbirds.
By the calendar, it is only the third day of spring... but it definitely feels like summer is right around the corner.
To apply another perspective, one week ago in 1993 we had the big blizzard — snowfall measured in feet, the world at a standstill. Twenty years later, lawnmowers are out in force and decades-old record high temperatures are getting not only broken, but obliterated.
I understand that Mother Nature is, at heart, an opportunistic bitch. I understand that if there's a chance to get seed propagated sooner (whether that seed is from animal or plant), and the conditions favor it, she's going to give it her best shot. It's been this way for hundreds of millions of years. We would probably not even exist if it were any other way. So yes, I understand. I grok it.
The only question I have is how hot it's going to be this summer. I know a week in March does not a season make, but it has been an unusually warm week after an unusually mild winter... after two very bad winters in a row. Disclaimer: I am not a meteorologist, and yes, I know it's going to cool down some starting this weekend (but still be significantly above normal). Those things aside, as a layperson, it seems quite odd that things are advancing at such a rapid clip. I'm going to assume for now that Mother Nature knows what she's doing, and meanwhile, enjoy it while it lasts (and before it becomes sweltering).