Signs of Spring, Part One : THE PLANTS ARE WAKING UP!

Many plants survive the winter by going completely dormant ("sleeping") until the temperatures rise enough for them to be able to start to grow again.  These plants are called Perennials, because the same plant "returns" year after year to grow a little more. Of course, the plant didn't actually go anywhere, it just shut down for the winter and they are now ramping up their growth again. All trees and bushes do this and a lot of smaller flowering plants do as well.

They store lots of sugar in their roots and bulbs to use as energy to grow in the spring. It doesn't take much time to find evidence that they are starting!

The earliest in the city are the Snow Drops. They can bloom even in the snow! These are along the west side of the street north of Kenwood Mall. I took the at the beginning of March.

 

One of the first trees to wake up are the HUGE silver maples that are planted all around the city. Their flower buds are bright red and soon the squirrels will be nibbling them to get some of the sugary sap that the tree is sending to the tips of it's twigs. Sometimes you can find the nibbled twigs along the sidewalks under the trees. If you have spring allergies that are kicking in like mine, it might be these little flowers on the trees that are causing them. 

This is a Flowering Plant called Aconite. It's a native of France that blooms very early in the spring. Mr Matsikas planted a few bulbs in the Outdoor Classroom last fall. The sugar stored in the bulb is being used to fuel the fast growth of these plants. They are the first real signs of growth in the Outdoor Classroom this Spring. 

 Daffodils! Daffodils! Daffodils!  SOOOOOOOOOO many of these bulbs are planted around the city so you can spy them everywhere. They will be blooming in the next couple weeks making splashes of yellow and white will be pop up all over Chicago.  These are along 59th St, there are LOTS all over in Hyde Park.

Some Perennials use their energy from the their roots to grow new leaves before they start flowering. Last year before they went dormant they set buds, and those buds are now opening and new leaves grow pretty fast this time of year. I'm watching this Lilac bush near my house. It's the same type of Lilac that grows in front of Blaine and in Scammons and the Lab School Garden. 

And here's a time lapse I took of the crocus flowers that are just outside my back door. They are just a few meters away from my Square Meter. They also stored lots of energy as sugar over the winter and used it to grow new flowers and to open and close them each day. They come in a lot of different colors and might be near your house too.