green up, green-up time noun Springtime.
1976 Dwyer Southern Sayin’s 23 = springtime. “It’s comin’ green up.” 1991 Haynes Haywood Home 56 Springtime, just at green-up time, was the time for making popguns and willow whistles….It’s the time when buds come on the willows and elders along the branches and creeks and their bark gets loose.
—Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English
Green up has surely happened in Brasstown. The new green of spring is stunning. I know a good soaking rain would make it even brighter.
Every spring I wish I could put my finger on the exact moment green up occurs. I know it’s not an instantaneous thing, instead it happens in small increments until finally it arrives.
This year I’ve really tried to pay close attention as the world turned green again. I sure have enjoyed noticing the different shades of green as the trees unfurl their new leaves and the grasses and other plants come alive once again with new growth.
Last night’s video: Aunt Arie 2.
Tipper
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There is no green like the first green of spring!
❤️
Hi Tipper and Acorns. We had our first Butterflies the first week of March here in the corner of NE TN. On Thursday of this week the high ridge of the Iron Mountain (3720 feet above sea level) was still a blackish gray. But it rained most of Friday from 12am till 11 am. Wow the greening happened and as the clouds parted over the Holler there were bright green patches all over the eastern face of the mountain. It was glorious. I will see if I can upload the photo from my little camera and add it to my blog. It made my heart sing to see it. The lawn crew showed up Thursday before the rain and the yard was dry and dying except for w few weedy grasses gone to seed and the odd wildflower. Friday, just before noon I went for a tiny walk and found 2 morel mushrooms out near the creek. These are the first I have seen in the little patch that I made before the flood came and washed out the natural bed of them further upstream. The west yard is now a field of buttercups. I haven’t ever seen so many butterflies and bumble bees. Praise GOD, it is so glorious. I had a 5-gallon bucket of black walnuts, and I poured them out for the squirrels. They disappeared in about 20 minutes. There will be mor rain tomorrow and freezing temps return at night. I set out some green onions today as I walked to the mailbox this evening. My lavender is about 4 inches tall. I will cover it tomorrow before night fall. I am so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. It floods and wildfires come, tornadoes have hit and lightning does too but what a wonder it all is when after every rain the rainbow spreads its color of hope and promise to the east. I love it. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Holler in my prayers. I love y’all
I guess I am one of main members that complains the most about the lack of rain. I cannot remember the last year we had a normal year for rainfall, especially during the hot summer months. Sometimes the total yearly amount might be close but most of the rain came during the winter months and not the growing season. It is has now passed being a concern but became a serious problem. We are now in an extreme drought, the worst category. All outside burning has been banned until further notice. A neighborhood man burnt his riding mower and part of a wood fence last week from a fire stared by a spark from maybe a rock by his lawn mower. In my earlier comment about a farmer being one of the most faithful people. He will plant in dust and have faith that the Good Lord will send rain and good weather in order to have a good crop. My sweet potato friend comes from a farming family that has generations going back into 1800’s. Not today, but maybe in a few days, I may write something about the faith of my Granddaddy Kirby and rain.
Ammons, if it does not began to rain soon, your camel is going to need to carry a big canteen of water with him!
I usually enjoy watching the transformation of the woods during turkey season as they change from a stark gray and brown world to the lush green of spring. It didn’t happen this year. With the State of Alabama moving our season forward eight days (04/08) and the leaves “putting on” early this year, I did not get to witness that this year. It has been a nice spring, but we need rain. Things are dangerously dry.
In Florida, my very favorite greening up sign is the cypress trees. I just love their little feathery growth in such a perfect shade of spring green that makes me wish I could paint a picture of them.
I doubt if anything I think of about green up will be different from what I have commented about it in the past. I’ll just (re?) make two points; (1) the energy driving grrenup is what was stored in the roots the previous year, and (2) nighttime high humidity and cooler temperatures help green up happen in the night though it may seem to us it must only happen during the day. That’s why the changes seem so fast and astonishing. Having written that, it still seemed especially fast this year here in north Georgia. And if He cares to name them, I think only God can have the names of all the shades of green of an Appalachian greenup. Just think, many of them are also a timed series on the same plant. Wonder why there isn’t somewhere in Appalachia a Greenup Festival?. Greenup.County, KY (home of Jesse Stuart) would be a good place.
“Greening up” is gradual, but you know it’s happening in earnest when the oaks that have had their brown leaves on all winter have started shedding them so that this year’s leaves can grow.
I love when everything starts to turn green, slowly at first then one day all the leaves are fully out. Beautiful! Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen up here for a while yet, we still have a ton of snow and the temperatures need to get much warmer than they are right now. I just need to remember God knows best and everything is in his timing. We’ve been so dry the last few years that this wet snow we’ve been getting will help the farmers fields and gardens. So really this snow is a blessing! Have a wonderful day everyone!
As I sit here looking out my living room window at the beautiful woods, I have noticed more greening up every day. There are a couple bushy-looking plants that are very green. I have to go out and explore to see what they are. I am stuck in the house for a few days, as I had a hip replacement this past week. I am doing great, and cannot wait to go out and walk in the woods again soon. As for now, I am happy looking out my window at the changes occurring each day. Hubby told me this morning that the marigold seeds the girls helped me plant are all popping up. That is exciting news. He has already mowed our lawn twice. Spring is so beautiful!
I know it’s pretty in Brasstown. I do love the green up time of year when everything comes alive again. I’ve also noticed this spring that the birds are singing louder than ever. It really is a beautiful time of the year.
All modern electronics are powered by smoke. They all work great till the smoke comes out. Then they just stop.
Green-up is like coming out of your winters den to find there still really is life out there!
Since I live in Florida and in a less rural area, less humidity is really the only thing I notice. Oh, but when I travel, when I see the hills and mountains I am in constant awe! I does not matter to me what season, it is all beautiful.
It started greening up in March this year, and April has looked and felt like summer here in KY. The record heat so far this spring has me worried about what July has in store for us. It is supposed to rain and storm today, a welcome forecast for some of us, but not for the thousands of folks who have eagerly waited a year for Thunder Over Louisville.
Green up has been in full force over the past 2 weeks here in west central IL. I’ve now mowed twice and my weedeater has been invaluable but after a long night of thunderstorms and a tornado watch(2 confirmed tornadoes less than an hour north of me) I woke up to an even greener world. The recently planted fields surrounding me are no longer dusty brown but a rich dark, coffee colored hue. It’s a bit chilly this morning but the birds are singing and the whole of outside feels so fresh!!
Norman, I’m so sorry but things will start to get better. Happy belated birthday to your brother as he now rests in peace♡
Green up has arrived in my area. I always notice just how many different colors & shades of green there are when all the tress, grasses, bushes & weeds start making their showing. There’s nothing quite like the beautiful freshness of greens as the leaves come about in all their glory each year.
It’s been a brown up here so far! I’ve noticed that many familiar plants aren’t behaving normally this spring. What clover that came up has smaller leaves and blooms and lies flat on the ground. The course heat loving grasses haven’t even come up yet. The ground above my septic tank looks like a barren desert as do several other places in the yard. Looks like, if we don’t get some good rain soon, I’ll have to start looking for a good used camel.
I have noticed a drastic reduction in the number of insects, which is good, except that includes honeybees and other pollinators.
Everything has greened up beautifully up here in the last week or so with all the storms. We had a lot of bad weather last night— a tornado touched down just 3 miles from us. Lots of trees down and someone lost part of their roof. Neighbors were already out immediately afterward with chainsaws and tractors helping to clear debris and check on people. Some really destructive tornadoes went through other areas and many have lost their entire homes.
I am praying for rain for those who need it desperately. I’m sorry you lost your video footage, Norman! That is such a frustrating feeling.
Prayers for rain
I am totally with you on the green up scene! It’s beyond wonderful to see the trees and nature turn green and the horrible dullness of drab and brown disappear once again as winter disappears. Often I just sit looking outside as content as can be. Sunshine is good for charging the battery of a person and is essential for DNA synthesis and many body cells to function correctly…welcome spring and summer!!!
My sign of ‘the green up’ is when I can no longer see the ridgetop since it is obscured by the leafy trees.
it’s pretty green here, copperhead snakes are crawling, one was in my neighbor’s driveway, he moved a bunch of trees and logs from behind his house down here to the power line near my house, it has made a really nice snake den,
yesterday was my brother’s birthday, I went to the cemetery, I used the new camera application, I made a 37 minute video, come to find out, the new application did not save my video anywhere, except inside the application, the video is 7 minutes too long, there’s no way to recover it, everything is a total loss, it did not save to Google photos, it did not save to Samsung, God help
I’m sorry Norman. Technology is great until it isn’t.
We’re greening up here, my husband has already mowed our lawn, the leaves on the trees are coming out, my peonies are about 2 weeks ahead of their normal schedule and will be blooming early this year, and morel mushroom season is pretty much over with. Yesterday I planted some herbs and cleaned out the fence row along side our garden so that I can plant some flowers next week. I love spring and the beauty it brings with it!
Denise, I have cut my grass twice this year, normally by now, I would be cutting it every week. It is your mentioned of peonies I want to comment about. I live on the old home place property, I have a peony in my yard that my grandmother planted, I am 72 and it has been here as long as I can remember, right now it has big white blooms on it. It is pretty but would be even prettier if we had gotten more rain. I wish I knew how to make a picture and send to you, today’s technology left me behind many years ago. One memory of grandmother, when I was probably around 6 years old she would tell me “if you mess with the blooms on my peony, I will tear your rear end up!” I don’t THINK she would have, but she did love her flowers. Yes I loved her too!
Green up probably started back in March around here, it happens so gradually, it is hard to say when it started. Not trying to be smart by this, but if it does not soon rain, green up is going to turn into a brown out. Just looked and the chance of rain for Sunday has now changed to 20% and less than 5% for each day next week. Yesterday I saw large fields of dust that a have been planted in corn a few weeks ago that have not even begin to sprout. I wonder what my “sweet potato” friend will do this year, he plants 25-30 thousands plants each year toward the end of May. These potatoes and some watermelons and cantaloupes are his main source of his yearly income. Some of the most faithful people are dirt FARMERS. A lot of folks never think past the grocery store when it comes to getting their food.