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Early Fireflies - Jeremy Miranda , 2026
American , b. 1980 -
Acrylic on panel , 11.5 × 14 in.
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In mid-October, we had a mix of warm days and an unusually heavy amount of steady and non-destructive rain. Normally we might get a bit of rain around Halloween and then nothing significant again until Christmas. Wildflowers then come around mid-March.
Imagine the surprise then, when things started sprouting in mid-November. Before Thanksgiving! 🤯
The first was this California peony (Paeonia californica). It has very distinctive leaves and left no doubt that a peony decided to announce spring about four months early.
It’s a reminder that nature keeps its own schedule and will respond to the right conditions at any time.
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The Morning the Windows Open Again
And the Small Bird Who Knew It First
Morning brought its own small announcement today.
Out on a branch of the Honey Locust tree just beyond the window, a Carolina Wren had taken up position and was delivering his familiar seven-note song — over and over and over again — with the bright confidence of a creature that believes the whole world ought to hear it.
And the remarkable thing is that the…
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The Threshold of March
The wind is whining like a restless child,
No longer fierce, but no longer mild.
It tugs at the hem of a winter coat,
With a hollow, thrumming, uncertain note.
I look for the light I loved as a boy,
A ghostly gold, a sudden joy.
It catches the salt on the window pane,
Before the sky turns back to rain.
The ice has thinned to a shimmering skin,
Letting the soul of the season in.
Tender green knuckles punch through the silt,
Before the frost-fringe starts to wilt.
The sky is a wash of bruised, cold blue,
Where the iron grey gives way to the new.
By the Heugh where the salt spray stings the air,
The sharp scent of life is everywhere.
A herring gull cries, a lonely sound,
As the crashing tide beats the rocky ground.
But golden heads of daffodils,
Brave the damp and the morning chills.
They nod to the gale with a yellow flare,
To prove that the sun is finally there.
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First Hyacinth
Photo by Bruce Stambaugh
With bright sunshine and warmer-than-normal temperatures, spring’s early flowers are getting a head start in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
While filling my birdbaths and birdfeeders, I noticed our sole Hyacinth was ready to bloom. Yesterday, it popped its lovely pink blossoms.
Unfortunately, with a strong cold front approaching, this beauty may not last long.
© Bruce…
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The Things the Ice Didn’t Take
Winter had been doing its work for months, and like most work done quietly, people mistook it for progress. Snow packed itself into corners and along curbs. Ice sealed cracks. Heavy coats swallowed shoulders and softened outlines. Gloves hid hands. Scarves hid mouths. Hats pulled low and narrowed faces. Everything moved slower, muted, buffered.
By early March, that buffering started to…