In other January news, January is the month when herons, head all hunkered down into their bodies, stand with one foot in the icy river, the other foot raised against their bodies for warmth. They look about as warm as a heron could, under the circumstances. The first signs of spring appear in late January if the month has been a warm one. It sends out a cluster of coarse, flat leaves first thing in the spring, and shoots up pinkish flower heads while the daffodils are still asleep, which is to say, early . When elm trees bloom, your ears might tell you before your eyes do.
Elm flowers are inconspicuous, because they are wind-pollinated.
Wind-pollinated flowers have the wind to rely on, and have no need to attract insects, and therefore have no need for fancy adornments such as petals. Elm flowers look basically like little brown lumps about the size of peppercorns, with tiny flecks of pollen sticking out. Honeybees, ever on the look-out for an early meal, quickly find this pollen bonanza and fill the trees with their buzzing, which can make an impressive roar. Probably the commonest of the winter-growing weeds in the Mesilla Valley is wild mustard, which blooms on ditch banks and in vacant fields all winter long. The smallest and youngest of the mustard leaves are edible, but even these are quite pungent, and go best mixed with milder greens.