I try to observe and keep track of lots of things in our garden (and nearby). Not just my plantings and seeds sown, but also harvests, buds, flowers, critters and more. And for the most part I think I do ok. And then along comes spring. And gee does it really up the ante and stretch my observational and record keeping skills. There's just SO MUCH going on! I love being dazzled by it all. I thought I'd share a couple of exciting (for me) observations.

1) I saw the first blue banded bee of the season in our garden. It was not where I expected it (the stand of Dianella outside a neighbour's house is usually the spot), and around three weeks ahead of past sightings, as per the calendar at least. I didn't get any photos but Ralph also saw it - a single blue banded bee on the flowers of a daikon radish last week. 

Below: This little video clip features one of the last of the "bbb"s I saw before winter. Maybe this serves as 'file footage' like they use for tv news? Shortly the blue banded bees will be everywhere, but in the meantime here's a reminder of what to look out for! 

Video: Blue banded bee

2) The native bees I observed last year roosting on Dianella by the walk and cycle path near here are back! Last Thursday night I saw just one roosting Megachile ferox male. Each night since then there have been two. I'll be out there as many nights as I can to check. They aren't there during the day. More about them here and here. Last year I didn't notice them until November, so with luck I might have a couple of months to observe them this season.  Sound like I've signed up for a(nother) project? You betchya!

3) For at least the third year in a row, there's a blue-tongue lizard (presumably eastern blue-tongue?) hanging out around our gas meter by the front of the house. It was first sighted in the last week of August and I've seen it most days since. It's pretty shy, but it sun bakes most days, making it possible to spot if you approach quietly. No blue-tongues spotted in the backyard as yet. One usually decides the stormwater pipe from the shed is a good spot. We've also seen some take a fancy to chook food in the past (though the blue-tongue that thought it would 'upgrade' to eggs one year met an untimely end when the chooks weren't so keen on that idea and 'took care of it').

4) Of the many, many other 'spring wonders' you can watch, I'll nominate the fruit trees for their intensive progress from the 'bare' branches of late winter, quickly moving to first buds, flowers, leaves and already developing fruits ... better get the nets on them so we can keep the fruit fly and birds at bay! Below is a photo of our new apricot's progress, as an example. Our pears, quince, apples, plums, grapes and even cane and strawberries are all powering along with equal gusto. And the first spears of asparagus didn't even make it to the kitchen - raw and juicy, they were munched the moment they were picked.

What are you watching and getting a 'buzz' from this spring??