Spring signs

Below the Water Gap on the weekend of March 25 and 26, the Delaware Valley presented a happier face than it had when I motored down from Milanville. Yards and gardens held rows of blooming crocuses and daffodils, while silver maple twigs were dotted with clusters of tiny, wind-pollinated flowers. In the Northeast they are the first trees to blossom, and by April Fool’s Day many have begun to set seed.

With my young friends Devon and Matt Hogan, who like to explore with me when I visit, I also checked for early insects, especially on parapets and railings where rural bridges cross tributary streams. Stopping at a bridge across Little Bushkill Creek, near the village of Martins Creek, we found it damp from a morning rain, but by leaning over the parapet spied a few stoneflies clinging to dry areas of the wall.

When one alighted on the back of Matt’s hand, it was an exciting first for him—and a windfall for the half-inch insect, which absorbed enough heat to set it parading onto Matt’s wrist and sleeve. It had recently hatched from the creek, and had just a few days to live.

Later, hiking beside the river, the kids found moth cocoons attached to twigs, took a turn at pulverizing walnut shells with rounded rocks and, using my binoculars, spotted migrant waterfowl, including small bufflehead ducks en route to Canada. How fortunate to be abroad in late March, and with eager young spirits for whom the earth remains a storehouse of wonders.