Image source: Merlina McGovern
Ok, I don’t really hate spring. I live in New England, and who doesn’t love the explosion of colors and fresh green smells of life blooming all over after a long and cold winter? Of course, with climate change, winters in Massachusetts aren’t what they used to be. According to this article in The Providence Journal, Massachusetts has warmed a whopping 3.5 degrees since the beginning of the 20th century. We’re seeing less snow and earlier springs. Which, for me, lessens a bit of the spring welcome.
I am indeed happy when it’s no longer likely that we’ll see single-digit temps, but you know who is also happy about that? Bugs. And I hate bugs. Here are a few of the things that make me dread the coming of spring.
Allergies. When I lived on the drier west coast, with much gentler seasonal transitions, I never had allergies. The second I move to the east coast, bang—runny nose, sandpaper eyes, and post-nasal drip; such a lovely way to greet the riot of orange, pink, and red tulips, exploding yellow forsythia bushes, and fragrant lilac bushes. Pollen.com lists today’s pollen high in Massachusetts as 11 (and tomorrow will be 11 as well). I don’t exactly know what 11 means, but on the screaming bright red chart that the site uses, it seems that 11 is one shy of the highest pollen count number. Yikes!
Bugs. Spring is also the time when we bring out the ant traps. If we’re not careful in keeping our doors closed, the massive armies of ants milling about in newly tilled gardens can’t wait to make their way into our house. And while the blooming of our beautiful peonies brings me joy each year, their sweet nectar is also irresistible to ants. And of course, a mild winter means a higher-than-average risk for Lyme disease from our wonderful spring-loving friends, the ticks. Finally, I know that bees are hugely beneficial to our lives, and many of our lovely neighbors have transformed their gardens and yards to be pollinator friendly, but I’m still traumatized by having been stung so many times as a child to not flinch and run across to the other side of the street whenever I see a bee.
Weeds. Spring is also the time that lovely invasive weed species start to pop up and say a jaunty hello. Signs all across our neighborhood have sprouted up warning homeowners to eradicate all signs of garlic mustard plants. My particular backyard is currently being attacked by Japanese knotweed. This thing seems to grow four feet overnight (I’m only slightly exaggerating), and it’s so invasive that the terms used for controlling it all sound slightly murderous: smothering, cutting, digging, herbicide. It’s a battle that I feel I’m forever falling behind in.
Ah, this may seem so miserly, and I do still love the gorgeous blooms that pop up all over the neighborhood. I love witnessing the return of the brilliant red robins. I love hearing children playing as they all rush outside instead of being cooped up indoors in the cold. I love restaurants bringing back their outdoor seating, so I can eat delicious dinners while I people-watch. I love seeing the brilliant canopy of leaves return to my tree-lined street. On balance, these beauties outweigh the things that I hate, if I think about it.
What do you love (or hate) about spring?
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