Spring, Right on Schedule

The daffodils keep you guessing. The narcissus -- some currently blooming -- on the Rose Park slope along Rock Creek Parkway are my favorite harbinger of spring because of their unpredictability. It's hard to know when the green shoots will appear or how fast they'll transform to yellow.

Kidwell Farm at Frying Pan Park is savvier. Its spring attractions of baby farm animals also arrive on nature's schedule, but the park uses all forms of modern technology to help planner types connect with the natural world. Most of the farm babies are born in late winter/early spring, and the staff regularly update the "birthing schedule" Web page with details you'd expect from first-time parents. You can count down to Patsy the Nubian goat's due date (March 15), check the Web site or call the park for news.

The triplet lambs (two ewes and a ram) born on Feb. 3 were the stars of the early season, when six sheep produced 10 lambs in 11 days. Now the piglets are arriving, and calves and kids (young goats, I mean) will follow. The park is like a free county fair, a live-action scene from "Babe" daily, but spring is the best time to pet baby-soft fur and to watch tiny hooves fight for balance.

-- Anne