Yet another unusual winter. I guess we should expect warmer winters from now on. We had single digit cold the first week of December. Then four weeks of mild temperatures. The past week has been seasonably cold (teens) and frosty. This has been confusing for the plants. They are ready to grow even though we still have 8 weeks before Spring officially begins.

Bulbs began sprouting in December. Even the Little Princess tulips in my basket-of-gold container (above ground and completely exposed) are sprouting. Snowdrops (promptly chewed off by my evil rabbits) were blooming and hellebores budding by January. My Helleborus purpurascens (that Jill picked up for me) actually bloomed. Although I don't think it is H. purpurascens since it has greenish white flowers. Perhaps it is a cultivar or another species, like: H. odorus, H. dumetorum, or H. viridis.

It is not just the European garden plants that are tweaking. Spring witch hazel is blooming one month early, although with the teen temps she has refolded her petals. The buds of red maples and basswoods have swollen.

It is not just Chicago. The warmth has a been a global phenomenom. At Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve the Winter Sun mahonias are almost done blooming. They usually don't start until mid January. Their edgeworthia and the hellebores were opening flowers in December.

And I have seen more bicyclists this January than ever. The bike-fix-it-man was spotted outside Northwestern's campus last week. We usually don't see him til March or April.

I must say I have enjoyed the weather. I'm outside whether its 100 or -30, but the warmer winter days are more enjoyable than the frigid ones. If this were the only effect of global warming, I'd tell Al Gore to shut up. But loss of polar habitats and increased range/season of malevolent insects are going to make us sorry soon enough. I gathered a half cup full of slugs from under a board in my garden. Having that many slugs active in January can't be good for my bulbs.

For now though go for a hike and cut some witch hazel branches for indoors.

Happy Birthday sweet niece Tyra and old man Ed!