Nature Note:Signs of Change

Before dawn,the constellation Scorpio rises in the southern sky.This is a sure sign of the approaching meteorological spring,which begins March 1.The silver maple buds are another sign.They have begun to swell and,if you wounded the trees,sap would flow out.Each day,the sun is stronger and higher than it was the day before.Red-winged blackbirds have returned to the pond,staking out their territories for the warm months ahead.The minds of growers are turning to planting when the ground thaws and winter will be forgotten.