Early signs of Spring

We have had a mild winter and are having an early Spring this year  Here are some crocuses blooming along our driveway.  I need to plant more of these.  They are a welcome first sign of Spring.

Purple crocuses are blooming next to our dog kennel -- well, it's a cat kennel now.

The leaf buds on the lilacs along the east garden fence are swelling and green.

These buds on my apricot trees seem to be about to burst open.  These are always my first fruit trees to bloom.

The buds on my plum trees are also showing a lot of green and swelling.

The bees again were active on this warm early Spring day.  Here bees are on the bottom entrance of the North hive.

Bees are also active at the top entrance of my North hive.

Bees are also flying at the bottom entrance of the middle hive.

And here are the bees on the bottom entrance of the South hive, showing that all three hives seem to remain active and healthy.  I hope to get into the tops of these hives on the next warm day in mid-March to see how their emergency sugar stores are holding out.

Purple finches

Purple finches have been a frequent visitor to my bird feeders this winter.  They have been present every winter, but there seem to be more this winter.  The second and fourth birds in this photo are goldfinches in winter plumage and the other three are purple finches, the male being in the middle.

Here is a close-up of a male purple finch.

And this is the female.

Bees flying in February

We have had several warm days when the bees could fly -- they come out if the temperatures get into the high 40s or low 50s F.  The were flying on February 11 while the last snowfall was still melting.

Here there are a few bees in the air in front of the North hive.

Another shot of the bottom entrance of the North hive, later in the day when it was warmer.  Lots of bees out.  The bees in this hive still tend to go in and out of the hive at the far Southern end of the bottom even though it is open all the way across.  They have been doing this since this hive was established from a swarm caught in the apiary three years ago.

This hive also has a top entrance in the Winter in the sugar box.  Here several bees are using and hovering around that entrance.

The middle hive also shows some activity early in the day.

Later in the day, the middle hive bottom entrance is quite busy.

The top entrance is also busy in the middle hive.

The South hive is busy too early in the day with snow still on the ground.

Later in the day, the South hive is also quite busy with hots of bees orienting in front of the hive.  This hive also has a top entrance but I haven't seen any bees using it this Winter.

The three hives viewed from the south, with my straw bale windbreak behind (to the West).  This is later in the day -- the snow is gone.