What have they done?

I've been watching flickers



for weeks now, poking deep into the soil, leaving so many holes behind that some places look like someone fired a shotgun. Although the flickers are around all the time, it's only in late winter that I see them working over special areas together. Then, today, I look out to see: newborn leaves on the roses, lilac, crabapples and flowering currants, glossy maroon buds on the horse chestnut,and suddenly there are more things blooming than I can easily list.

I think I know what the flickers were up to: they tore a hole in winter so spring could get in!