Beech opening, home

Phil the Groundhog has spoken, and as if, on yet another warm, wet day we needed additional concurrence, I spotted a new sign of an early start to spring weather. Beech buds typically stay tightly closed until April, even May, but this one—and it had several other daring pioneers for company—was attempting to get a jump on the season. A big jump. There are at least a few gamblers among the members of each species, and while it's true that the house almost always wins—that's how nature maintains sensible adaptations—you also need a constant supply of experimenters. Most of the time, the gamblers lose big-time and don't get to pass on their risk-taking genes. But you want them around in any population, because if conditions change rapidly, they may be the ones with the wherewithal to continue the group, even the entire species. We'll just have to watch this experiment to see how the Beech bud fares.