It's been nice, but it makes me a bit worried about whether fruit buds will start to come out of dormancy and be less able to tolerate the next cold snap. I cut down some aspen branches the other day and noticed some of the catkins were starting to open and looked like pussy-willows breaking bud.

Yes, today I had noticed the bursting buds on the white poplars. As for the fruit trees, I guess only time will tell whether hardiness has been affected. Cold is to return tonight, though forecast isn't calling for anything too severe, so I hope all will be fine.