Every spring my yard comes alive. Violets, clover, and buttercups mingle with dandelions and thick grass, creating a lush carpet to welcome bumblebees, honeybees, and swallowtail butterflies with the first food of the season. Virginia creeper vines along the fence, the moss thickens and ferns unfurl in the shade, while robins, cardinals, finches, and woodpeckers flit around looking for their first bites of spring. The occasional box turtle, black snake, deer, or rabbit passes through. This year, the Pharoah cicada emerged after a 17-year hiatus.