Over the past few months, Stillwater has been gradually shedding its winter coat, warmly welcoming the arrival of spring. For the partners in crime who share this home, this transition also meant adjusting to new rhythms and routines, particularly since Sreemala’s parents bid farewell to Stillwater in early March, returning home after staying with us for a while and helping us taking care of little Sreeja.

Our backyard starts getting pretty busy in February. The cardinals start singing, and the blossoms start popping up. The cedar waxwings were regulars over the winter as we had a good season for our berries. But in early spring, they were after something else… the buds!

Many trees start their spring journey with blossoms rather than leaves. Here’s one from our yard.

Cedar Waxwing on a tree with newly emerging buds.

Checking the buds and niftily picking some small pieces. Tasty!

If you don’t know, the buds of the flowers as well as leafbuds can both be quite delicious for some critters, and then some insect-eaters chase the buds as they often are easy places to find insects. The Waxwings spent a whole day on these buds on the bare branches!

A collage of another bud-eating series thanks to the Waxwings.

Red-bellied Woodpecker looking for suet.

The red-bellied woodpecker was around, always hitting up our feeder before the spring buffet opens up. I love seeing them every time despite them being very common. One of them cooperated enough to get some action shots!

Red-bellied Woodpecker taking off.

A Northern Flicker made a sudden pit stop for some snacks before vanishing into thin air. Talk about fleeting moments! Pratyay managed to get it clicked on one of its favorite perch. It was a red-shafted one, which is the less common variant here. We had the best Northern Flicker show in January though when five of them came to our pecan tree at the same time. But they took off before we could grab our cameras.

A nice-looking Red-shafted Northern Flicker.

With Sreeja starting to be sick immediately after joining the daycare, our household was swiftly reminded of life’s unpredictable twists. Taking care of a sick kiddo teaches you life’s real fun!  Seeking solace and healing, we turned to the outdoors, where the simple wonders of grass and dried leaves worked their magic, aiding Sreeja’s speedy recovery. Who needs doctors and medicines when nature offers its own remedies?

In our yard, the little wildflowers started popping up in early March. Field Pansies and Henbits added different shades of violet and purples. That reminds me that 2023 was one of the best years for henbits I had ever seen. These plants are not native and can be quite invasive, but they do support pollinators early in the spring. All these wildflowers are like tiny bursts of joy, attracting bees and butterflies like it’s their personal garden party.

Field Pansy, these flowers are actually tiny.

Henbit flowers.

Orange Sulphur butterfly flying over the henbits.

We also had many henbit photos from 2023, and we thought sharing a portrait with Sreeja still in mom’s womb would be appropriate! Sreeja’s newfound fascination with the early spring henbits, often dismissed as weeds, brought moments of joy as she explored the delicate magenta flowers.

Mamma and Sreeja…

Here’s the little one exploring the henbits after getting out of mom’s womb.

However, this year’s major magenta show was from the redbuds. Eastern Redbud is the state tree of Oklahoma, and they typically put a stunning show every March, but somehow it seemed like even better this year.

Eastern Redbud, our state tree.

Close look at the flowers. The colors can range from pink to different shades of magenta.

A single redbud along the line of pines. A Turkey Vulture flying in the sky is another sign of spring.

And yeah, we tried to snag some Insta-worthy shots with Sreeja, but she had other plans. Maybe next year! Here’s just a simple mother-daughter pic from this year’s outings.

Mother daughter portrait.

The redbuds also blossom before having any leaves. If you look closely, you will notice how the tip of the branches are just starting to have some leaves.

These photos are mostly from an evenings walk at OSU Botanic Garden, where we saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet after a very long time, but it did not cooperate for photos either. A White-breasted Nuthatch was more friendly despite being close to what it seemed like a nesting cavity.

White-breasted Nuthatch making some funny noises, as they always do!

Back to the yard, Pratyay was happy to take a closer look at the blooming Dandelions. With a macro lens and a shallow depth of field, you can get very different photos by moving the focal plain very slightly. The following two images of the same flower is an example of that. Which one do you like more?

Close look at a dandelion flower, version 1

Close look at a dandelion flower, version 2

Is it a coincidence that these photos were taken around the same time when we have the festival of colors in India. The bright yellow of the dandelions made us think about it. However, most people remember the seedheads first when they hear “dandelion”. The children especially love these “blowflowers”! So here we share a sneak peek into the dried version too.

Dried seedheads… the blowflowers!

A closer look…

Playing with different focal plains again. Up close, they kind of look like a starry sky!

The dandelions and henbits look nice, but they are non-native and can be quite invasive. On the other hand, below is another common “weed” that we often see on our yard and this one is native to North America. It’s commonly known as peppergrass, and it’s actually edible! I like to see these little plants from the top with this nice circular arrangements of the seedpods and the flowers at the top.

Peppergrass

Peppergrass… top view.

Shepherd’s Purse, another plant related to the previous one, also pop up on lawns, and their heart-shaped seedpods look like medieval pouches that shepherd’s used to use. These are also edible and has some herbal usage too.

Shepherd’s Purse.

The Yellow-rumped Warblers were back in action, hunting bugs in every direction. The Eastern Bluebirds and Pine Siskins were also around. Somehow, we don’t see the siskins in the yard over the winter and many of them suddenly arrive in early spring. This has happened three years in a row now; so, it seems like a pattern.

Yellow-rumped Warbler getting its breeding plumage.

Crawling down the tree trunk looking for some insects among the newly emerged leaves!

Pine Siskin.

Female Eastern Bluebird. Isn’t she gorgeous?

Mr Cardinal was ever present at our fairy feeder just outside the door to the back deck, and Sreeja became quite familiar with him! The fairy feeder was often attacked by some non-feathered invaders too. The rest of our feeders being squirrel proof, this is the only one that attracts these mischievous critters.

Offerings from the fairy… Northern Cardinal.

Sneaky Fox Squirrel arrived at the feeder too.

Yet, as nature unfurled its splendor, so too did the seasonal onslaught of pollen and viruses. Easter weekend marked Sreeja’s first bout of fever, a reminder of the fragility of health. As a family, we weathered weeks of illness, finding solace in shared discomfort and the anticipation of brighter days ahead.

With the return of butterflies signaling a turning tide, we look forward to a future blog teeming with tales of avian visitors, bustling insect life, and the boundless wonders of nature—hopefully, free from the grip of viruses and illness. Here’s to hoping our next update is all about birds, bugs, and backyard adventures—minus the sniffles and sneezes. Cheers to springtime in Stillwater!

Let’s finish off with another blowflower!