THE other evening Thomas came into the house from the backyard and made me go out into the woods behind the garden to show me what he found. It was worth the trip! Though the sun had gone down by the time I got there, I could see a carpet of purple throughout the woods. Almost more impressive than the flower was the discoverer - looks like my interest for nature is a little infectious... I have yet to identify this flower, so please let me know if you are familiar with it. 
TODAY we saw the most amazing sight, which caused me to do a little research into fire ants. These little red ants look innocuous enough, until they creep silently onto your skin, finally announcing their presence with a painful and persistent sting. They live in the ground and we often find little mounds of red earth in the grass, which you definitely don't want to step in barefoot. Around the baseball field where we walk, these ant nests line the tarmac path and provide much interest to curious onlookers. But never as much as today, when after a rain we saw several seething masses of ants on the surface of puddles.
You have to admire their pioneering spirit. This particular species of ant was accidentally introduced from South America in the 1930s through a port in Alabama, and has since spread across all the southern states. Their successful colonisation is due in part to exceptional resourcefulness and teamwork. When their nests are threatened by rain, instead of fleeing or curling up in defeat, the ants march forth into the face of the enemy. They form a large mass around the queen, creating a living raft that floats until it bumps into a tree or clump of grasses to hang onto. The ants constantly rotate positions so that none stay under water too long. Even though some die, enough survive so that once the waters go down, they can return to the nest or build a new one.
WHAT better way to spend a beautiful sunny afternoon than sitting outside with your children doing a craft project? Through the winter, we have been collecting odd bits of materials inside the house that birds might like to make their nests - dryer lint, hair, fluff, soft toy stuffing, raffia. Outside, we added to our collection with organic 
materials - pine needles, the long feathers from our feather reed grass, mown grass etc. Then, using a wire coat hanger, we spanned a mesh bag into a diamond shape and threaded our pieces in and out before hanging it in a tree. We haven't noticed any takers yet, but at the least it's a colourful tree ornament!
THOUGH we've had touches of Spring creeping into the house for a while, today is the official beginning of Spring. Since it was the bees that first caught our attention and triggered yesterday's lawn investigation, we decided to bring some of the purple henbit indoors for our Spring nature table. Emma told me the real bees wouldn't like being indoors, so instead ran to get the little bee we crafted last year, and balanced it carefully in the vase.
THE first mowing of the season is long overdue in our front garden. I was thinking it looked a little shaggy, then shamefully unkempt until this week, when a purple-flowered weed popped into bloom all across the lawn, which looks quite lovely. Now, after spending two hours lying in the 'meadow' examining the different kinds of non-grass and watching the bugs, I rather wish we could keep it long.
What makes a weed a weed? A close look at some of the flowering kinds revealed some pretty little flowers, no less attractive than some you would pay for. The bees certainly make no such arbitrary distinction. They buzzed by the dozen around the purple henbit, oblivious to our presence. Henbit has an interesting shape: it has square stems and the upper leaves fan out, appearing to encircle the entire stem like a wax catcher on a candle.
AN early morning walk after rain brings many delights. For Emma, it is jumping in puddles. For Alexander, feeling a wet raindrop on his nose and tongue. It is a magical place where spiderwebs glisten, trees drip, the grass squelches and the air smells fresh.
We stood and watched as dozens of American robins flocked to the soaked baseball fields to take advantage of a delicious worm feast served on a soggy platter. Robins eat earthworms in the morning, then switch to fruit later in the day. I wonder if they would make an exception if there is a rain in the afternoon?
And yet, take four young children away from the comforts of home and place them in a tent in the middle of the woods, and they could be children of any time in history.
How wonderful to be able to get dirty and wet, feel the musty old leaves, cool new ones, sand, grit, wood on your body without someone immediately running for a washcloth.
To actually feel the difference between hot and cold without heating and air conditioning, warming your body instead through movement, layers, fire and the sun.
BEFORE we could prepare for our camping trip by stacking everything in the car port, we first had to sweep all the leaves away. Well one thing led to another and before we knew it, a full-on spring cleaning episode was in progress. Luckily we did still have enough energy for the intended project of the day - and had a clean car port as a bonus.
At one point I heard an excited: "Mama, look at me!" to find Emma up at the ceiling, having climbed up the decorative iron supports. I was impressed at her climbing skills, but since she was up there tried a little reverse psychology to get the cobwebs down too. "I bet you can't hold on with just one hand and dust the ceiling at the same time!" "I can, I can, give me the duster, I show you!" Wily Mama.
BIRDS of prey have always been somewhat of a mystery to me. You see them on posts at the side of the interstate, sometimes soaring overhead in the woods. But always so far away, until today, when we were lucky enough to see a wild hawk in closer proximity than ever before. We first noticed a sound not unlike seagulls. Clearly not seagulls in Atlanta, we traced the sound to two large birds in a tree. A naturalist confirmed they were red-shouldered hawks, possibly drawn by members of their own species kept in captivity at the center for rehabilitation. They circled in the sky a couple of times, then landed again on a branch not 15' from the ground. The hawks were then perfectly obliging, staying neatly in place as we crept closer to admire them.
WELL so much for welcoming the Spring! Our camping trip this weekend was postponed due to an ominous weather forecast, and sure enough March 1st brought rain, then sleet, and finally a rare few inches of snow. Woohoo! On with the boots and gloves and we were out making footprints, tasting snowflakes, watching them melt on our clothes and making a snowman. The garden was picture-perfect, with more than a light dusting on branch, leaf and bench. So much fun to be had.
