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A Gardener's Notebook: The latest incarnation of my column detailing the trails and tribulations of my garden. Join the list and ask your own questions about gardening Subscribe

In just a few hours the sun will reach the middle of its never-ending journey between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The Vernal Equinox is once again upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere. With the return to longer days comes the return of so many other denizens of my garden.

Spring

Here in California The first day of Spring is quite different from my Ohio birthplace. There it was a regular occurrence to get several inches of snow on March 20, mocking our optimism that the long Winter might be over. Here in Van Nuys, actually part of the City of Los Angeles, I have had bulbs rising and blooming since late January. This week, though, brought the return of the larger elements in the garden, the trees.

First to appear was the bright-red leaves on the Japanese Maple outside the back door. While this tree sports green leaves most of the year, it begins and ends its season with a bright show of dark burgundy. The leaves are like delicate refinements of the typical Maple leaves, almost like tracery. As I have mentioned in the AGN Mailing List, this is probably my favorite tree. I am determined to plant many of them if I ever find myself with a new garden to start.

Immediately adjacent to the Maple is a young Honey Locust. It, too, began throwing out all sorts of growth. This tree tends to everything all at once. It greens up within a few days and, in the Fall, it loses most of its leaves all in one, dramatic drop. The local finches and sparrows find something tasty in this new growth and can be seen eagerly feeding on seed pods that occur alternately among the new leaves.

The Crepe Myrtle, usually the last to get its new growth, is opening up as well. This small specimen has been slow to grow or flower. Until last year it had been hidden under a canopy of adjacent trees, so this season is the first where is has less competition for sunlight and water. The mature specimens in my neighborhood always put on such a show, I continue to coddle mine in hopes of a dramatic show sometime before we move on.

Birds and Bees

The local mockingbirds, usually not seen in my garden, have been here eagerly gathering nesting material. Mockingbirds are insect-eating birds and therefore don’t visit my feeders, but I often see and hear them atop my television antenna singing for a mate. Some people are annoyed by their insistent singing, even at night, but I have come to enjoy whatever nature I can get in my little urban garden.

The daffodils have attracted another regular: large black carpenter bees. These bees are quite impressive being all black and about as large as the first joint on my thumb. They can be quite intimidating when they surprise you, but they have proven to be quite docile. They are so large they barely fit inside the bells of the daffodil flowers and dwarf the small florets on the wisteria blossoms.

Speaking of bees, I recently came across a book which pairs the turn-of-the-century writings of Jean Henri Fabre with the contemporary watercolors of Marlene McLoughlin. A Passionate Observer collects many of Fabre’s articles on insects. Victor Hugo described Fabre as "the Insects’ Homer." The perceptive writing, combined with the beautiful paintings might just make you feel a little more comfortable with the insects in your garden. You can find A Passionate Observer at Amazon.com or at your local library.

Keep digging! -- Douglas