Signs of Spring
Winter is ending and the world is waking up…After a long winter, there’s nothing more exciting than spotting the first signs of spring!
Snowdrop spotting!
Snowdrops are one of the very first signs of spring. These delicate flowers emerge in the depths of winter, as early as the 1st of January.
By February, snowdrops flower in woodlands, parks, and gardens. They’re small, but their beautiful white flowers make them easy to spot. Snowdrops seem to be appearing earlier and earlier every year – so keep an eye out from Christmas onwards!
Other early bloomers, like yellow primroses, join snowdrops on the forest floor, early in the year. Overhead, some trees will also be blooming – look out for their long, unusual-looking flowers, which are known as ‘catkins‘!
Ponds full of frogspawn! Many frogs and toads hibernate during the winter, but by the time spring comes around, they’re awake and raring to go!
Frogspawn (a jelly-like blob of amphibian eggs!) starts to appear in ponds from January onwards.
Only 1 in 50 of these precious eggs will survive to adulthood, which is why frogs lay so many! If they don’t get gobbled up by a predator, these eggs will grow into tiny tadpoles – another sign of spring.
Blossom blooming! The white flowers of blackthorn are one of the first blossoms every year – they appear even before the shrub has leaves! Pink blossoms like cherry and apple follow shortly after, and pinkish-white hawthorn blossom in May.
Buzzing bees! Blossoming trees are a sign that it’s time for bees! With the return of flowering plants and trees, bees emerge from their winter nests and get ready for a new year of nectar collecting.
The start of spring sees the return of many other insects, too. Keep an eye out for beautiful butterflies, and check the ground for scurrying beetles. You can encourage bees into your garden by planting native wildflowers or building a bee hotel!
Longer days, lighter evenings: After the March equinox, countries above the equator line are tilted towards the sun. As a result, these countries get more hours of daylight and warmer temperatures.
Add in daylight saving time, where we all move our clocks forwards, and the evenings are suddenly much sunnier than before!