One of the greatest pleasures of life is to wake up to sounds of birds. The dawn chorus of wrens, robins, goldfinches, sparrows, and blackbirds usher in the Queen of the seasons. Sunny days, gentle breeze, and azure skies break free from the cocoon of winter to paint the world in all kinds of colours conceivable!
The arrival of Spring is first felt in the songs of birds. They are the first thing that tells you that short days and long-cold nights are quickly coming to an end. You can tell from the hummingbirds that start visiting your backyard and the wookpeckers that tap-tap-tap on the branches of beeches and red maples that Earth is about to unlock its treasure chest. From the treasure chest will escape warm weather, soft breeze, yellow daffodils and purple crocuses, richly coloured florets of cherry blossoms, green grasses, and golden bumblebees. At the same time, Mother Nature is all set to don her best garb of green and when she does, it is a sight to behold and remember!
The oaks, maples, and sycamores sway to the news of Spring’s return. The songbirds and Eastern Grey squirrels have already given trees the news of the Queen’s arrival. The tall trees wait for their turn to greet her. Unlike birds and small animals, deciduous trees have to wait longer to hail the most-awaited season of the year.
Some of the first trees to greet Spring are cherries, magnolias, and dogwoods. The delicate white and pink petals of their blossoms dance in the spring zephyr and sing odes to the season.
The soft beauty of a cherry tree in full bloom, for instance, cannot be matched by anything else in nature. Their short-lived but luxuriant beauty is something people look forward to every spring. Cherry blossoms symbolise hope, renewal, friendship as well as the fleeting nature of life. During springtime, people travel hundreds of miles to places where cherry trees are found.
Here in the US, the most popular destination to enjoy cherry blossoms is the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, which welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 flowering cherry trees to Washington, DC by the mayor of Tokyo City, Yukio Ozaki. Just thinking that each of these cherry trees is more than a 100 years old instantly fills one’s heart with admiration for them. In this part of the world, cherry blossoms are the stars of springtime.
Spring symbolises re-birth, it symbolises the tenacity of nature that helps her live through an unkind winter. The season is perhaps an annual message to the humankind that through their persistence and fighting spirit, men and women, too, can overcome, even the most difficult hurdles of their lives.
From how bare branches sprout new leaves and barren fields grow new grasses, there is a secret mantra to conquer our deepest fears. There is inspiration to draw from Mother Nature. From her, we can learn to fight and carry on, come what may.
Photo: Wara Karim
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