I have decided to restart my nature and garden blogging, after a two year hiatus. Although I have been posting regularly to Twitter, I thought I’d return to the longer form again. I used to have it all on a paid site and it got to be too expensive and no extra value.

I’m starting with some of the signs of spring around my Ontario home, on the Oak Ridge Moraine, near Pontypool.

This picture is a rose-breasted grosbeak, which I saw yesterday for the first time this year. They stay here for the summer but return to a warmer climate for the summer.

This one is a little clump of moss growing on a basswood branch. Since we often have long, hot, dry spells in the summer, I’m surprised that it can survive.

Finally for today, above is a patch of forest floor, with brouwn leaf litter but with many small trillium leaves. They are very prolific around here. I saw my first one a few days ago and now they are almost all up, judging from previous years. No flowers yet, probably because of the heavy rain in the last few days, but I expect a few purple ones will open as soon as we get a clear day or two, expected in a couple of days. The white ones are usually a week later but may not be so long as they are getting ready during this rainy spell.