Spring is in the Trees

15 March 2012
time

Sunrise at	8:07 AM	in direction	92°	East
Sunset at	7:54 PM	in direction	268°	West

Duration of day: 11 hours, 46 minutes (6 minutes, 43 seconds longer than yesterday)

The sunrise/sunset times I post each day are strictly for the latitude and longitude of Fairbanks, Alaska.  Here is something interesting:

 

 Nome and Fairbanks are in the same time zone, but look how much later the sun rises and sets in Nome.  You'd think that much difference in sunrise/sunset times would constitute a different time zone.  And in fact, at one time there were several time zones in Alaska, each adhering closer to the noon meridian.  If the multiple time zones were in use, Juneau and Southeast would be one hour off Pacific Time while our region would be two hours off Pacific Time. They scrapped that because it was too difficult to manage business and government across the state.  Even so, the farthest west of the Aleutians do have a different time. 

It gave me pause to think how much further west Nome is.  I took a look at the distance on Google Maps.  Nome is a tad more southerly than Fairbanks and roughly 600 miles west as the crow flies.  As I've said before, Alaska is a big state.

Driving home today, I saw that the aspen and birch trees are preparing for spring.  I could see hints of it in our yard, but today was the first day I was driving in full sun and took in the panorama of the hills along Farmer's Loop.  All along the hills on the that route, the deciduous trees predominant above a certain elevation. 

The tops of the trees are thickening to the point where the difference in color between the birch and aspen is vibrant.  The stands of birch show a hint of garnet red at the tops and the aspen families cast hues of yellow grey.  I find it hard to describe the way it looks because there are buds, but no leaves, yet the thickening of the buds brings a whole new dimension to the texture of the hillsides.  Especially the aspen offer a depth that gives the impression of gossamer fairy wings. 

The fact that the trees are already preparing so seriously is remarkable since leaf out is not usually until around Mother's Day in May.  But in our short growing season, the hardy flora of this region waste no time.  I will look for fuzziness in the willows while I am out tomorrow.

I am not sure I can capture the effect in a photograph without a telescopic lens, but I will try.