Things to Look For in April

This time of year just makes my heart soar, every year. It's also one of our busiest times: Matt's landscaping business is in full swing, our own garden is plenty of work, and there are so many things we want to look for in the wild!

Morels by It's Greg

More than any other rite of spring, we look forward to morel season. The search for these well-camouflaged shrooms can be maddening, but it makes the discovery that much more exciting when we find them. They usually start up about mid-April. We're leading two walks to look for them this month (sign up soon; they always fill!). Or check out the forays by the Mycological Association of Washington.

Wood frog eggs by the Natural Capital

Close behind the morel hunt on our list of spring favorites is looking for frog and toad eggs. And even more so, the tadpoles once they come along. It's not quite as challenging as finding the morels -- see our list of places we always find them, or let us know about yours!

Photo credit: dancing nomad

And then there are the bluebells. William Cullinasays of bluebells , "As best I can determine, Mertensias are not plants at all, but delicate clumps of sky, thinly disguised and sent here for a few weeks each year to bring us earth-bound folks briefly closer to heaven." We say, amen.

Earth from Galileo (NASA)

And speaking of earth-bound, Earth Day is April 22. It's hard to look for the big-picture earth while you're standing on it, but our post has a way to feel the earth move.


What have you been seeing out there lately? We'd love to hear about it.