Here in central Florida we are in a period of flux between winter and spring. Some early phlox flowers are starting to appear on the roadsides, and the gorgeous redbud trees are starting to put out their first little buds. Most days (the last two have been cooler than normal thanks to the parade of winter storms) are warming up, but evenings and nights are still pretty cool. In fact, we had a freeze warning night before last. Most of our winter birds are also still here since it’s still far too cold up north for them to return to their breeding grounds yet. The other day I snapped this shot of my beautiful male pine warbler (Setophaga pinus), who is very much a winter bird, perched in my wild cherry tree, which is just beginning to put out the beginnings of its spring leaves. I thought this was a perfect image for this time of the year here. It’s always one of my favorite times of the year because I love the novelty that the winter birds bring, but I also very much enjoy seeing the plants and flowers coming back to life.

What time of year do you like?