RAIN DRIPS OFF the roof line, big fat drops plopping onto brown stalks of hydrangea emerging from dormancy into a world reawakening.
April showers bring May flowers. Tulips bloom, replacing the crocuses and daffodils already finished flowering. Fiddleheads pop through the soil, reaching for the sun, unfurling into leafy ferns that bend in the wind. Peony plants push up. Bleeding hearts dangle from stems, strong, yet vulnerable.
This is spring in southern Minnesota, a time of transition, of new growth, new life. Lush. Vivid. Visually-pleasing after months of drab surroundings.
Leaves, only weeks ago tight buds on branches, now color a canopy of green across the land. Spring Snow ornamental crabapple trees scent the air with perfume in a blizzard of blossoms clinging to branches.
There’s so much to take in. So much to experience with all of the senses. The intoxicating scent of apple blossoms, of earth and April rain. The birdsong of early morning. The green, oh, the greenery, everywhere. The furry softness of a fuzzy curled caterpillar found among decaying leaves. The taste of burgers from the grill.
And a poem imprinted in the sidewalk outside an ice arena. Poetry not about icy winter, but about welcoming rain.
April showers bring May flowers. Gardeners tend perennial flowerbeds, plan plantings, shop for annuals, buy flowering baskets. Planters are plumped with fillers, spillers and thrillers.
We Minnesotans thrill in welcoming spring, when rain replenishes a land awakening from yet another winter.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
My absolute favorite time of year!
It is a wonderful time of year, especially coming after winter.
Yes, spring is here, even though it’s a cold one! 😉
I love the sunshine. That makes all the difference.
Your burger toppings – peanut butter and blueberry jam – are interesting. I might have to try that. 😊 I love spring with all its colorful flowers. 🌷🌼🪻
I tried a burger many years ago with all the toppings I list (except strawberry, rather than blueberry, jam). I loved it. Remember the pepperjack cheese and bacon. It’s not for everyone. But I like this burger version.
We’re going to a tulip festival on a farm near Farmington next week. A new event at Brand Farms, which also has an apple orchard. Farmer Aaron is trying to diversify his dairy and crop farm as he embraces agri-tourism.
i adore the tulips and love your adventurous burger toppings – beautiful poem at the end
The tulips were a gift several years ago from Paula, a blogger in Holland with Minnesota roots. They arrived potted and were the most beautiful tulips I’ve ever had.
As an adult, I never ate burgers up until about 10 years. My mom fried them to charred hockey pucks when I was growing up, thus my dislike of burgers. But I eventually tried them and actually like burgers now with unique toppings. My favorite topping is still the blue cheese made right here in my community.
I love the poem, too, and enjoy finding them when I’m out and about in neighboring Northfield.
I love blue cheese!
Either you like it or you hate it. I’ve never tasted better blue cheese than AmaBlu and St. Pete’s Select made and aged in caves in Faribault. Here’s a link: https://cavesoffaribault.com/
So beautiful, Audrey—both your words and the pictures. We’re behind you up here in the UP- but the buds are beginning to open and the forsythia has been out for a while. Such a joy to watch it all unfold.
I’m glad spring is arriving for you in the UP. It’s such a beautiful time of year.