By Mike Traynor
Spring is in full swing and doing its usual fine job of bringing new life into a world eager for renewal. Before racing headlong into summer, let’s keep attuned to the season’s big finale. Memorial Day is often viewed as the onset of summer, when three more weeks of spring await through the summer solstice on June 20th. That marks the longest day of the year. What delights lie ahead in these final weeks?? For a sneak peek, these photos were taken in Lincoln Park over the final spring weeks of 2020. Stay tuned for the big finish! Light is reaching its zenith, and new life is renewing the earth.
Newborn barn swallows emerge from their nests, soar over open waters, and perch to ponder the curious habits of the human visitors.
Turtles seek any spare place on this log to bask in the sun’s warming rays. It is a first-come, first-served reservation system, with no attention paid to proper social distancing. Shocking.
Peonies mean spring. Best to admire their heavy blossoms before soaking spring showers send blossoms earthward. Peonies really should grow umbrellas to cover themselves.
These are snowballs. Spring’s version of a snowball is a more hospitable and civilized way to experience a snowball impact than the kind one receives in winter.
It is the perfect sunbather — head pointed toward heaven, neck extended, shell lifted and balanced upward, and all four legs stretched out and up. It is a wonder that the turtle does not roll right off that log. Must have a good personal trainer.
A beave –damn! If you see a brush pile in Lincoln Park, the chances are that a beaver family has moved in. Lincoln Park real estate is expensive, and beavers are skilled at creating affordable housing in such affluent communities.
This little bunny is perfectly still, blended, and totally attuned to its environment. It is a good model for us on how to appreciate each and every moment of spring.
Mother heron just arrived from foraging to feed her hungry, noisy brood. Soon the youngsters leave for nearby waters for lessons on flying, fishing, safety, and health. There are far more teachers and students in Lincoln Park than those that come from Latin School.
Bright day lilies are the last blooming flowers of spring, handing off the baton to the summer season ahead.
Spring has rich greenery. The dominant greens are of a tender pale and delicate color, soon turning deep and lush as summer beckons.
This squirrel has buns of steel! After a season of nest building, foraging, and raising offspring, you, too, would get muscular thighs. No health club membership is needed for this squirrel to stay in shape.
Intense spring rain and thunderstorms bring fearsome skies. This momentous skyline evidences the powerful forces of growth happening at ground level.
Every season has a sunset. Spring’s sunset evokes gratitude for its coming, keen awareness of its present, and appreciation for the seasons to come. Spring’s farewell message is to appreciate the ensuing seasons until spring comes again fully.
