Spring has arrived in Virginia despite the atmosphere of dread and doom that has surrounded us for the last two months. She is gowned in the delicate beauty of juicy baby green leaves, golden forsythia, buttery yellow daffodils, and now, the creamy white of dogwood blossoms, and my favorite, the luscious magenta-pink blooms of the redbuds that peep out from the edges of the woods.

This a time of uncertainty and fear, so it is reassuring to know that the seasons continue to change in their proper time and we can enjoy the beauty of springtime, even if we have to do so with less freedom than usual. Many of us in Gloucester are fortunate to have sufficient space to enjoy the outdoors without feeling constrained. If you don’t live in a wooded spot, you can still take a drive on a sunny afternoon and enjoy the trees in bloom, as Jim and I did on Saturday afternoon.

The Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a deciduous, perennial shrub or small tree, native to North America from th...