Dandelion days

A winding down of aged and grouchy winter’s siege of wind and frost appears to have reluctantly given a green light to the elves of nature, allowing them to commence awakening nature with their wondrous ways of brightening the lawns and roadsides with the dandelion’s kisses of gold.

The dandelion’s appearance tells us that March is arriving.

Twenty-two minutes of daylight have been regained within this past and final full week of February, returning to us a grand and generous total gain of two hours and 10 minutes since the darkened days of the winter solstice.

March is now impatiently waiting at the garden gate seeking permission to take command. She may be riding a wild winter gale through wind- and storm-whipped weather, but she never seems to be deterred. March knows a long host of impatient and exotic company will be urging her along, for their clocks are wound by the sun, not by mankind’s weather forecasts.

As if designed to challenge the vibrant gleam of the smiling dandelion, the flashing of gold and black wings announces newly arrived Baltimore orioles are exploring new territories. Is this the same magic as grants the returning flights of martins and swallows the understanding that not till hatching midges rise from recently ice-bound streams can these birds’ survival be ensured? Ask the dandelions; they may well know.

This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Dandelion days."