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When has Spring - the season - sprung for you?

Nina Surya

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posted 6 months ago

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Good morning Permies!

When does springtime begin according to you?
For me it's around begin to half February - suddenly there's a mellow spell in weather and the songbirds start to go bonkers.
Snowdrops appear and buds swell on branches. Nature is awakening from her winter slumber.

But I'm curious to know how you experience the changing of seasons! What is the tell-tale sign for you that we're nudging towards warmer seasons?

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Judith Browning

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posted 6 months ago

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I always feel like spring is on it's way mid february...around valentines day, even though we almost always get some of our most extreme winter weather about then.

The jonquils are usually up and keep budding and blooming during single digit temps and snow and ice

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Anne Miller

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posted 6 months ago

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Here in Texas, I have seen it snow in March.

It is almost March and everything is still dead looking.

I have not seen anything budding.

Since I learned about phenology I use the mesquite trees as a guide. When the mesquite tree buds out it is spring.

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Nancy Reading

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posted 6 months ago

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I try not to get too excited in February, but by the middle of the month spring is definitely in the air! The daylight is long enough to catch me out, some of the tree buds and catkins are moving, snowdrops, crocuses in flower, optimistic frogs making spawn. I'll call it early spring though - far too early to sow seeds outside, except those that like a winter chill....I don't do vegetable sowing outside till April ; now that's spring!

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K Kaba

pollinator

Posts: 219

Location: MD, USA. zone 7

posted 6 months ago

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The crocus and snowstars and other tiny early bulbs blooming are the pre-spring event?

Spring for me starts when when the first daffodils show off their trumpets.

Spring is a whole spread of colors over time. Yellow mostly, with some pink and indigo and white. There's the forsythia, the redbud and dogwood trees, the heavy spring burst from the wild violets, the chickweed, speedwell, and so on. The irises don't usually bloom until late May here, that's when spring is "done" for me.

Joshua States

pollinator

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posted 6 months ago

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I lived in 9a for 29 years and we only had two seasons: the hot season and the really hot season!
Spring was in February when the citrus started to bloom. The bloom in the desert lasted for several months as different species of cacti and trees bloomed through June.

Now I live in an alpine climate and this winter has been unusually dry and warm. I'm at 7200 ft above sea level and yesterday, it was in the 60's temperature range. The oak trees didn't leaf out until late June/early July last year. Our last frost was in late April, also unusual as it's typically in early June according to the data I can find. I'm watching to see what happens in the coming weeks, but this crazy weather is probably more an anomaly than anything else.

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Carla Burke

Rusticator

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posted 6 months ago

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We have spring, this week, and next week it will be winter again, in the Missouri Ozarks... I'm SUPER happy for the warmup, but I'd be delusional, if I thought winter was actually over, here. I remember needing a parka in mid May, when my first goat kidded, and I had to be out there, for hours...

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Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

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Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

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posted 6 months ago

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Here in the Portland metro area, I measure spring by when the daphnies bloom and waft their scent in the air. I've been keeping data for this and it can occur anywhere from early Feb. if we've had a very mild winter, to late March if we've had snow enough. So its quite variable. Last year was late Feb. This year will likely be early to mid March based on our snowfall earlier this month. Once in a blue moon we get spring snow, but that's rare here.

Thank you for making a post about how spring isn't the same everywhere! Somehow average people out in the world have a hard time understanding that seasons are very regionally dependent.

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K Kaba

pollinator

Posts: 219

Location: MD, USA. zone 7

posted 6 months ago

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I saw the first honey bees of the year today. It won't be long.

Timothy Norton

Steward of piddlers

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Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall

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posted 6 months ago

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The bird calls are my first sign of spring activity. I have noticed robins, sparrows, crows, and starlings have all started to come back. In fact, we have an eave that a starling has made a home in for several years now and someone is back occupying it!

We still have a bit of time until official spring, I have taken notice to deer eating tree bark which is a survival food. The ground has been layered with ice so it must be hard to dig for forage. We have some above freezing weather so hopefully that will ease for them. I've noticed my forsythia starting to swell it's buds, we will see if a late frost damages its blooms this year.

It has been a rather forgiving winter in the Northeast where I am located.

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Christopher Weeks

master gardener

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Location: Carlton County, Minnesota, USA: 3b; Dfb; sandy loam; in the woods

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posted 6 months ago

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In general, daffodils start to bloom here during the second half of May. The spring tick season starts before that, but the first daffodil is a sure sign.

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Joshua States

pollinator

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Location: 6a Alpine Southwest USA

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Today I stepped outside, and the air smelled different. I could smell the pine and juniper again. Way too early for this.

Christopher Weeks

master gardener

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Location: Carlton County, Minnesota, USA: 3b; Dfb; sandy loam; in the woods

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It's 50F (10C) right now and the birds are out. There's still a foot of snow in much of the yard, so it's hard to think things are exactly vernal, but it's inching that direction!

Ara Murray

pollinator

Posts: 193

Location: Northern UK

posted 6 months ago

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Snowdrops in January mean winter is losing its grip. Hazel catkins in February mean spring is on its way. Crocuses and the sound of the first lawnmowers in late February mean spring is round the corner. By mid March when the skylarks are singing, there are masses of daffodils and Mr Ara gives up wearing socks, yes, it's spring. Yes, there will still be frosts here for at least another month but winter can't win.

Ben Zumeta

pollinator

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Location: NW California, 1500-1800ft,

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When the swallows arrive. We rarely get a hard frost after they do.

This is all just my opinion based on a flawed memory

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Joshua States

pollinator

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Location: 6a Alpine Southwest USA

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posted 5 months ago

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When the garlic sprouts???

Garlic-sprouts.JPG

Deane Adams

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For me in central Virginia it's the naked ladies (Nerine bowdenii) on the north side of the house. I once watched for the snowdrops but this year the silly things popped up late in Nov. and hung out thur those 12 and 14 F overnight lows.

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John F Dean

master steward

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Location: southern Illinois, USA

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posted 5 months ago

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For me it is when I begin work on my raised beds.

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Carla Burke

Rusticator

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I would *think* is after the last expected freeze date, but in reality, for me, it's when my does kid. I always wait until early to mid- December, to breed them, so they'll freshen in early to mid May.

Joylynn Hardesty

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Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee

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It's time to get in gear when the redbuds are blooming. Last frost here is near April 15th. I'm sowing some turnips and kale tomorrow. Evidence of my first asparagus spear quickly vanished today!

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Carla Burke

Rusticator

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Location: Missouri Ozarks

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Joylynn Hardesty wrote:It's time to get in gear when the redbuds are blooming. Last frost here is near April 15th. I'm sowing some turnips and kale tomorrow. Evidence of my first asparagus spear quickly vanished today!

I'm debating today, whether I have the spoons to go out & harvest & process enough redbud blossoms to make the tea, to make redbud jelly. Last year, I ran out of spoons halfway through picking, so only made the (delightful) tea, but didn't have enough to make the jelly.

Joylynn Hardesty

master pollinator

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Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee

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Oh, crap. You remind me I wanted to do violet jelly this year. There's plenty of bloom time left, but my time is spent. I got rid of a headache yesterday, with 6 violet flowers!

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Douglas Alpenstock

pollinator

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Location: Canadian Prairies - Zone 3b

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Pre-spring is when a bunch of early Canada geese are standing on frozen ponds with a disgusted look and loudly cussing their annoyance.

It's officially spring when I cut my first crop of pussy willows and bring them into the house. These are literally the first flowers that bloom here.

Josh Hoffman

master pollinator

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Location: Louisville, MS. Flirting with 8B

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When I see the first "Comfrey Fountain".

The plant is so full of life and bursting with life that the new leaves look just like the old leaves and the only way you know the difference is because the old ones are lower on the stalk.

Comfrey-Fountain.jpg

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