Every year, it’s exciting to see seeds germinate, new shoots emerge, and flowers appear. But this year, I seem to have amplified spring fever. The difference, I suspect, is that I went through all of my photos from last year to share on willowdalefarm.org. I found so many shots of insects that I didn’t even know I was taking! I was able to identify many species of solitary bee, for example, that I didn’t realize were in the gardens. Now I can’t wait to go looking for them.

A few weeks ago, we had a random warm day that forced some of the mahonia buds to open. I was able to take lots of good photos of our honey bees. They were the first insects I photographed in 2024 (February 9).

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  Honey bee on mahonia

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  Honey bees on mahonia

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  Honey bee on mahonia

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  Honey bee on mahonia

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  Oregon grape mahonia with honey bee.

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  Honey bee on mahonia (2.9.24)

Last weekend, the magic began: my one lonely clump of crocus opened, and the daffodils were almost ready.

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  Honey bee on Siberian squill

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  Fly on Siberian squill

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  Crocus with honey bees

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  Mahonia buds

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  Daffodil bud after rain

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  Dorothy crocus

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  Crocus with honey bees

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  Daffodil bud after rain

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  Siberian squill

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  Crocus with honey bees

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  Heather

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  Persian speedwell

Since then, we’ve had lots of rain, but the daffodils are open, and many shoots have started popping up. I hope the rain is a sign of good things to come in the garden this summer.

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  Spider web after rain

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  Webs