SIGNS OF SPRING!! (Southerners need not apply :-) )

[rainbowgardener]

It's not spring yet, more snow coming on Sunday, but there are lots of signs that it is right around the corner, here! Crocus is blooming, daffodils have buds on them. Lilac buds are not only swelling, but greening up and starting to split. Leaves of tulips, daylilies and a lot of other things are sprouting.

What are the rest of you that live in winter country and eagerly await signs of spring noticing?

[applestar]

We noticed that the Snowdrops by the front porch are blooming just over the weekend. No daffodils except the leaves coming up in the warmest nook by the back of the garage.

Definitely a little later compared to your area. 40's/30's, 50's/30's, then back down to 40's/20's next week.

[alaskagold]

Oh rainbow... even with 70 mph gusts, the sun is warming up the front of the house and I have PUDDLES of water! YAY!

I also saw pussywillows which is a sure sign of spring or breakup is what we call it.

If you are wondering, breakup is what the rivers and creeks do, and when they "break up" 2-4 weeks max on spring. And yesterday I noticed a large creek, which many of you concider a river, a very, very thin (about 3-6 inches of ice) ice over it which means it will break up in about 2 weeks!

Oh YAY!

[thanrose]

I may be below the Deep South now, but I love remembering the spring thaw, the excitement at seeing snowdrops, the anticipation of pussy willow and forsythia, and the intoxicating scents of lilac and hyacinths. I'm very excited at my tiny patch of violets, persisting despite being too tropical here.

Please, tell me more! The robins are headed your way now!

[alaskagold]

thanrose, did you ever see a deer calving? I know deer in quite a bit of the nation are pests though.

But moose calving, sometimes dropping twins or even triplets, is a site to behold. Since it is march and it is pretty close to our spring, the early moose calving will probably start in a couple weeks. I love looking at those cute spindelly legged babies.

But mama is usually not a happy camper.

[thanrose]

I also saw pussywillows which is a sure sign of spring or breakup is what we call it.

If you are wondering, breakup is what the rivers and creeks do, and when they "break up" 2-4 weeks max on spring. And yesterday I noticed a large creek, which many of you concider a river, a very, very thin (about 3-6 inches of ice) ice over it which means it will break up in about 2 weeks!

Oh YAY!

We called "breakup" "mud season" in Maine. You know why. Can't remember what we called the particular moment the ice broke, but you could hear it on the big lakes.

[thanrose]

thanrose, did you ever see a deer calving? I know deer in quite a bit of the nation are pests though.

But moose calving, sometimes dropping twins or even triplets, is a site to behold. Since it is march and it is pretty close to our spring, the early moose calving will probably start in a couple weeks. I love looking at those cute spindelly legged babies.

But mama is usually not a happy camper.

Nope, never did see a deer calve. I don't think I ever saw a deer with twins until I was for a short time near Calgary. I've seen moose quite a bit for someone who really didn't live that long in areas they inhabit, but never calving. No moose here of course, and our deer are rather small, though not as small as Key Deer. A six foot fence is often enough to keep deer out in this area. Probably 5' would be sufficient in the Keys. I think my bro in New Jersey has to have 8' tall fencing around his orchard and veg garden.

I have been between Mama moose and offspring though. Boggy mountain meadow in summer, and we just gave them some room to reunite. Never quite sure if she noticed.

[rainbowgardener]

Snowdrops, crocuses, and mini Siberian irises are blooming and the lawn is greening up!! Out doing yard work all afternoon! YAY!!!!

[hendi_alex]

Breath of spring and forsythia in full bloom. Everything in the yard budding out with green tip growth, which I'm afraid will get killed back with a hard freeze over the next few weeks. Blueberry plants are blooming. Noticed the first strawberry blooms. Raspberry plants have leafed out. Bluebirds are visiting the bird houses. Kale is growing like mad. Winter time blues have left me!

[hendi_alex]

How do I know that spring is right at hand?

The Hellebore blooming is a way too early sign, but ours don't really pick up until near spring.

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5510072464_b35fa71e30_o.jpg[/img]

Now the breath of spring blooming, could be sign but then again, ours will readily bloom on a warm January day. Look really closely and you may see an additional couple of clues as to how near spring we are today.

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5015/5510072194_47554db6fe_o.jpg[/img]

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5013/5509472071_509e005ed0_o.jpg[/img]

The red honeysuckle is a definite sign of early spring.
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5510071600_7d4bed190c_o.jpg[/img]

Then there is this old fashioned flowering shrub that we affectionately call our Mamie shrub as we found one struggling sprig growing by an oak tree, from when my wife's grandmother lived on this site. It definitely knows when spring is near!

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5509471527_9e707152dd_o.jpg[/img]

The red bud trees always can recognize spring time. Not blooming yet, but ever so close.
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5510071056_5ffe123172_o.jpg[/img]

The day lilies are a little dumb. These think that it is spring, but they are always subject to a late killing frost.

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5510070734_dda095d0ac_o.jpg[/img]

The blue berries are usually pretty good at timing their bloom, though this one is pretty early.
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5135/5509470691_69a4d8e12b_o.jpg[/img]

The strawberries also tend to recognize when spring is in the air. This variety is ahead of all the others though.

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5509470397_6dd5397016_o.jpg[/img]

These guys are open in naturalized areas all over the yard. Surely is one of my most welcomed indicators for spring!
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5140/5510069140_a2f8820209_o.jpg[/img]

And if you missed the idea on all the other photos, well this sign from the forsythia is just about impossible to miss. It is SCREAMING.......SPRING IS HERE!!!! Get out in the sunshine and enjoy the day!

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5509470027_9a0e1befc7_o.jpg[/img]

I rest my case. In Camden, SC spring is here...only thing missing is the date.

[applestar]

According to my research, forsythia blooming means it's time to plant potatoes. Are you growing any this year, Alex? In a potato tower/silo, perhaps? (I used a 30"d x 24"H chickenwire circle last year with great success).

[hendi_alex]

I'm definitely interested. I'm going to start a new thread. If you would be kind enough to share the details of your method. Thanks in advance.

[thanrose]

Beautiful, Alex! I haven't seen forsythia save in photos in many years.

[a0c8c]

Down here our sure sign of spring is us starting to sweat again. We literally went from cold(30's-40's) to warm(70's) over night and then straight into low 80's. Gotta love Texas, only 2 seasons, lol!

[gumbo2176]

One of New Orleans' rights of spring is the rise in the Mississippi River. When the snow starts to melt up north----and there's considerable amounts this year----the river rises to flood stage levels. This prompts the Corps of Engineers to open the flood gates in the Bonne Carre Spillway to divert some of the river water to Lake Pontchartrain.

Many times in my lifetime I've been atop the levee peering to the river side and can take a few steps down the slope to hit the water level and on the "dry" side I'd have to walk down 20 ft. to street level. It is at these times you realize just how vulnerable your city is to flooding.

[rainbowgardener]

More signs of spring: Daffodils are blooming now, I transplanted my broccoli plants into the ground, and I have the first case of poison ivy for the season!

Working clearing brush in the woods at my church must have been where I got the poison ivy. It's very tricky this time of year... not leafed out yet so very hard to spot, but it can still get you if you brush against the stem or roots, which I clearly did, with my right hand!

[lily51]

Many of you are ahead of us in north central ohio, except the Alaskans.
Beautiful photos of spring..love the forsythia! You all give us hope, even with snow in the forcast for later in the week.

We have tulips and daffodils above ground with leaves, but no buds yet.
Robins are singing in the morning, red-winged blackbirds (our real first sign of spring) are everywhere.

We're not going to see a moose calf (that would be something,as I've never even seen a moose in the wild), but there is a new litter of 4 kittens in the farm building. We suspected as much from all the noises we were hearing outside.

[rainbowgardener]

Brought sage, lavender, and mint plants outside to harden off.

First hyacinth is blooming along with the daffodils and early spring stuff: snowdrops, crocus, winter aconite, siberian iris.

On my woodland wildflower hillside the woods poppies, virginia bluebells, trout lilies, spring beauty, cutleaf toothwort, squirrel corn, dutchman's breeches, hepatica, have sprouted. The virginia bluebells and trout lilies have buds, but nothing has opened up yet.

HAPPY SPRING, EVERYONE!!

[lily51]

Before Spring is officially here, the peepers have to look through glass three time. They were trilling everywhere yesterday, and now cold is on its way. One more time and spring arrives.