A Look at February

Roundleaf Hepatica is the first to bloom

February is a mixed month for those of us in North Georgia, akin to having a foot in winter and a foot in spring. Chilly nights often give way to warm days with bright blue skies. The chance of a snow event is lower than in January but don’t count it out. Non-native daffodils poke out of the leaf litter but so do native perennials like liverwort (Hepatica), trout lily (Erythronium), and bloodroot (Sanguinaria).

Looking through the years, my February topics usually include 3 things: celebrating Georgia’s Arbor Day, appreciating my local birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count, and gushing over early spring flowers. Here are some posts that are just as timely in 2018 as they were then.

White oak (Quercus alba)

Arbor Day is celebrated in Georgia on the third Friday in February. That is a very good time for planting a tree in Georgia. Trees are one of my very favorite categories of plants so I’m always happy to talk about why we should plant trees for the future.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a wonderful citizen science project that helps contribute local data about bird populations while also helping us recognize what is sharing this little piece of land with us. I’ve got a post from 2012 and another from 2014 to explore. I hope you’ll be inspired to count this year from Friday, February 16, through Monday, February 19, 2018. This is their 21^st year of the count.

In between the trees and birds, take some time in February to look for emerging plants and flowers. If you'd like to get your spring on early, read some of these previous February posts:

In addition to looking for flowers, you can appreciate the buds of woody plants as they swell in preparation for opening their leaves and flowers. Some of them are beautiful in their own way, allowing us to be amazed at all that nature does in order to deliver the year's new growth.

While you're looking for swollen buds, keep an eye out for other signs of spring. This is a late January post on things to notice that remind us of the promise of spring.

Caulophyllum thalictroides

Erigenia bulbosa at The Pocket

Perhaps you'd like to find places to see early flowers, even in February. Last year I wrote about my visit to the Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail in Walker County. The Trail had plenty of beautiful flowers by the last week of February. I might have to repeat that trip.

Finally, if you're ready to start making lists of plants to get at the spring plant sales, this blog is about some of my favorite spring perennials to use in the garden and has some good ideas for your list of things to add to your landscape.

Claytonia virginica

Trillium cuneatum