Here in my corner of the Pacific Northwest, signs of spring are everywhere. The currant and snowberry bushes have fresh green leaf buds. The hellebores, crocuses, purple deadnettle, and snowdrops are in full bloom. And the osoberry bushes have sweet, winglike leaves and are just beginning to open their first flowers. The birds are raucous: the mini-forest is like nature’s club scene, everyone out partying and looking for love.

I’m feeling my annual vernal urge to be outside more and spend more time with my plant friends. So I want to go through the Plant Spirit Ally challenge again, but this time I want to take my time with it. Instead of trying to complete it in 30 days, I want to spread it out over the course of a year – or however long it takes to go through the activities with my plant friend.

I already know I’ll be doing the challenge with the beautiful western red cedar tree in my back yard. And I plan to officially begin on the Spring Equinox, which is on March 20 this year. If you’d like to join me, you can find the challenge guide and links to articles and the challenge pinterest board on the Plant Spirit Ally Challenge page of this website. I’d be delighted if some of you wanted to join me and share your experiences on your website or other social media. If you post on social media, you can use #plantspiritchallenge to make your posts easier to find.

Now I need to go see a lady about some wood chips … because spring really is just around the corner.

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