signs of spring

[redbird]

A coworker wondered on Friday when Spring "officially" began. After a bit of discussion of astronomical Spring, I noted that by that standard, Spring would begin at the same time in Florida and in Ontario.

Yesterday, trifles posted about having seen crocuses. So cattitude and I went looking today, on our way to lunch. We looked, and we found. (The same patch as in this userpic, they're always the first in our piece of park.) He's still looking for a robin; the wintering-over ones I saw in Arlington wouldn't count even if he'd seen them himself.

Comments

[baldanders.livejournal.com]

I was surprised to read recently that our convention for the start dates of seasons is a recent one, made "official" by calendars, IIRC. Which figures, since I've always wondered what astronomy-obsessed person thought it was a good idea to have such counter-intuitive seasons.

[redbird]

I noticed earlier today that the National Weather Service has posted its climate summary for winter 2007-2008, which was warmer and wetter than average. Their definition of winter is December through February.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I saw a robin today -- its beak was up toward the sun and every now and then it would look around and then back at the sun. We were in the mid-60s today, a lot of us were looking at the sun.

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

We saw the first (and then second and third and fourth...) grackle of spring yesterday in the back yard (Kansas City). The robins have been back for about a week, and are suspiciously large and fat, like Red Delicious apples with heads and tails. It must have been a good winter wherever they spent it.