A previous Chappy columnist told me that she always made sure to give those folks were stuck over in America a glimpse of what they would see if they were on Chappy now. She wanted to give their eyes a chance to be where their hearts are. After a particularly rough winter for our native vegetation, the crowds of daffodils along the roadside that two months ago was heaped with dirty snow is an especially welcome sight. Along the state highways there was the occasional scattering of bright yellow and white chips of the acrylic highway stripes shaved off by the very efficient and very hefty plow blades.
Lately, the rain has brought out the green of the lawns and fields. Before that, the witch hazel stood out from the brown of the wintered grasses. Then their twins, the forsythia showed them up, followed by the wild cherry. Now the shadbush has come in to full bloom. Around the wetlands, the buds of the maples look about to burst and the pussy willows are puffing up.
There is a flurry of activity around bird houses and bushes. I’m impressed by the variety of instincts that encourages these critters to work so hard to carry on their family lineage. Some of the birds that were missing all winter from the feeders have returned. The ospreys have been back for a while and have already been front page news. The honey and bumble bees are buzzing around on the sunnyside of the house.
On the flipside of all of these welcome springtime images are the less appreciated. Ants have started to send their scouts into the house to search out the improperly closed containers. The lawns without caretakers have the usual early spring scruffy look as the crabgrass gets a head start on the meek varieties that you worked so hard to establish. If you are coming for the Memorial Day weekend your first job will be to get out the mower. The poison ivy has awakened and renewed its campaign to take over the world.
I hope that I have given you sufficient incentive to put your off-island responsibilities and projects on hold for a couple of days and zip down here for a quick and much deserved weekend at the Chappy house. Remember to pick up some ant traps on the way. If nothing else, getting them set will justify making the trip. See you soon!
This article appears in May 8, 2026.