Early spring or is winter just taking a break?
A head of decorative purple cabbage-slash-kale.
It’s not even February but I’m seeing what look like signs of spring everywhere — from enthusiastic purple “flowering” Brassica oleracea, to real flowers blooming in gardens.
There’s a sudden abundance of bouncing baby squirrels in the back alleys and the tree branches are all budding. One tree in particular even shows early signs of growing green figs!
A speedy baby squirrel I saw (and almost photographed) this morning.
Perhaps I’m jumping the gun and imagining things. Perhaps ornamental cabbage-slash-kale is always in “bloom”. Or perhaps it’s spring that’s jumping the gun.
Spring is certainly the impatient season here on the South Coast of British Columbia; always nipping at the heels of winter. Always willing to start early if it’s given the chance.
An incandescent flower lightens the gloom of a grey day.
And this year it looks like winter is more than happy to give ground (after all the work it’s done east of the Rockies, I’m not surprised).
But whether this means winter is done for the year, or just needs time to catch its breath before it wallops us with a frigid February is anyone’s guess.
I just know that the early signs of new life are really helping to put fresh spring in my step. Click the images to enlarge them.
A fig tree pruned back in autumn and already showing signs of growth.
sqwabb 
Hi. I wish I could spot some early figs. I’d know then the neighbours to cozy up to. I also haven’t seen any baby squirrels, perhaps I don’t get up early enough, or my eyes aren’t attuned. On the other hand….those handmade sign and local warnings about the coyotes in the neighbourhood, followed by sign about missing cats. (All relating to that winter-to -spring period.)
As for your comments about those funny cabbage plants. I buy those every year, once they appear in the garden centres. They are a burst of colour…either white or purple…on the other hand, they just sit there, doing nothing. (Much like a cabbage would do.).
But yes, if one can stand our heavy downpours….and they don’t last the entire 24 hours…the signs of spring are here. I have snowdrops in my yard…although pushing up through mud…and those crocuses and mini hyacinths are not much behind. To say nothing of what truly brings spring to vancouver,….those bluebells…growing wild in the ditches and boulevards everywhere in this neighbourhood.
Some rainy days make the waiting all that much harder. Today was one for me. And you?
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Rain can be inconvenient but it can be dramatic and exciting. An absence of weather is worse. I could do with the occasional high winds/rain/lightning storm in the spring, summer and autumn too!
Haven’t seen a coyote sign yet this year but yesterday morning I saw plenty baby squirrels — eight of them or maybe just one, eight times. I will have to discreetly try a tiny piece of the showy cabbage, which everything I read describes as edible — something to go with the dandelions Slowcrow recommends that I try.
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Beautiful clicks ♥ ♥
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