When Icicles Are A Sign Of Spring

March 4, 2009

in Signs of Spring

When I went out to do chores this morning, it was already warming up.  I went around the front of the house so I could unplug the heater in the wellhouse and noticed a big icicle hanging off one of the trees in the front yard.

Icicles On Tree

That seemed a little peculiar to me for icicles to be hanging off a tree trunk. So I looked a little closer. . .

Base of icicles on tree.

It still didn't seem to make any sense there should be icicles hanging there.  So I looked around a little more and noticed these holes. . .

Holes in tree trunk.

Aha! NOW it made more sense.  The woodpeckers have been drilling holes in the trees.  You can see a little bit of ice below the holes to the left.

And that's exactly how those big icicles were formed.  The tree sap is starting to "run", getting ready for the growing season, and when it got cold, made some impressive icicles.

And THAT"S why icicles (sapsicles?), in this instance, are a sign of spring!

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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

ceecee March 7, 2009 at 9:03 am

Oh my, that means the trees are starting to warm up and the sap is running again. I guess it’s that time again.
I would have popped one off and tasted it to see what it tasted like. Do you know what kind of trees they are?

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Rural Writer March 7, 2009 at 11:16 pm

I don’t know why I didn’t think of that! I’m not sure exactly what kind of trees these are. Elm? I’m not very good at figuring out trees, unfortunately.

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Laughing Orca Ranch March 11, 2009 at 12:12 am

Sapcicles! Very clever. Cool :)

~Lisa

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