"When Spring unfolds the beechen leaf"

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Spring didn't just spring here, nor did it do its usual creeping in at a snail's pace (no groundhog is an accurate predictor of spring, here, since six weeks from the second of February would be a remarkably early spring). No, this year it exploded. The trees that normally would just be budding already have leaves, the daffodils and tulips and forsythia are nearly spent, not just beginning. Our cherry trees have already blossomed and fallen (I hear that up in Door County, our state's cherry-growing region, they had their earliest blossoming ever this last week, something like three weeks ahead of schedule). Our lilac's buds are quite large, and if we have more warmth and sun later this week (as opposed to the cold rain we've been getting this weekend, which is normal for this time), they may open. It's not the first time things like this have happened, but it's pretty unusual. Even a lot of the oaks are already budding, and some even have small leaves. Just goes to show that in every wood in every spring there IS a different green.