Dave Beck

As I sat down to “pen” today’s article I did so with the idea that I wanted to celebrate the greatest days of the outdoor calendar year: when spring has sprung. From that seedling of an idea, I found myself surfing the net and came across a great resource: Journey North. It’s a terrific site where people from around the country log their observations of nature’s first sightings and thus create a great migration and growing season resource. The qualifier is that there are a few days of lag time from when materials are submitted to when the paper comes off the press and hits newsstands and mailboxes. With that in mind, the green dot first sightings are a little behind.

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are just getting here. My unscientific and casual observations tell me that they arrived on or maybe just after the orioles showed up.  

Orioles

I have a soft spot for orioles in that they were my mom’s favorite bird. No matter how busy she was raising one great son (me) and five average children, she always had time to take care of her orioles.

Loons

Since I don’t live on a lake I never really noticed when they arrived. All I know is when I start lake fishing, they are already there and I like it. If a loon entered a contest for the greatest outdoor call, I would say that it would have a great chance to win.

Monarch butterflies

Monarch butterflies that we enjoy here in the summer will be the great grandfathers and grandmothers of the butterflies we will welcome back next year. It’s the craziest and coolest migration and life cycle ever. 

Milkweed

I don’t really have a lot to add about milkweed other than heads up, here it comes. If you need a reason to leave it alone, it’s a host plant for monarchs.

Robins

Robins are an early arriver here in Wisconsin. It’s for good reason that the old saying goes something like “a robin’s back sees three snowfalls.”

Tulips

Tulips are awesome in that when they decide it’s time, they seem to go from just a sprout to full grown in a matter of hours.  

Red Wing Blackbirds

When I hear the territorial call of the male blackbird it reminds me of the small bay on the Mississippi River where my dad kept his boat. That sound automatically brings an image to mind of a male blackbird sitting on a cattail chattering at us for daring to venture too close his turf. I have a similar recollection of my grandmother’s house when I smell lilacs.

Morel mushrooms – Wisconsin’s gold

Another sign of the spring season is the number of hours I don’t spend in the Dave Cave in proportion to the increased amount of time I spend outdoors.

Didn’t get enough Dave this week? Visit “Outdoor Trails and Tales with Dave Beck” on Facebook for photos and video of Dave’s adventures. You can share your own photos and video with him there as well, or by emailing him at dave@piercecountyjournal.news Also, check out OTT content on Instagram @thepiercecountyjournal