When Icicles Are A Sign Of Spring

When I went out to do chores this morning, it was already warming up.  I went around the front of the house so I could unplug the heater in the wellhouse and noticed a big icicle hanging off one of the trees in the front yard.

That seemed a little peculiar to me for icicles to be hanging off a tree trunk. So I looked a little closer. . .

It still didn’t seem to make any sense there should be icicles hanging there.  So I looked around a little more and noticed these holes. . .

Aha! NOW it made more sense.  The woodpeckers have been drilling holes in the trees.  You can see a little bit of ice below the holes to the left.

And that’s exactly how those big icicles were formed.  The tree sap is starting to “run”, getting ready for the growing season, and when it got cold, made some impressive icicles.

And THAT”S why icicles (sapsicles?), in this instance, are a sign of spring!