I know that spring has arrived when...

Wow! I have NEVER been first! I chose "other" because we really know when Easter arrives. No matter whether Easter is early or later, we ALWAYS have a freeze right before Easter, and we do not have one after Easter. This is true no matter when Easter actually is that year.

First flowers to bloom here seems to be the species crocuses and snowdrops. But I really felt Spring had sprung today when I saw a bee visiting them!

I really fret until the pecan trees leaf out. (A less welcome signal - houseflies appear!)

Spring starts when the wild grass turns green. The grass is starting to turn brown now, so spring is almost over.

Spring! Time to get outdoors, BAREFOOTED, and feel the grass and dirt between my toes.

Spring is when we open the windows and let in some free air (as opposed to heated/cooled air)

The dog likes it, too, because she can run out and chase squirrels without waiting for us to open the door.

I chose a specific flower; the azaleas are generally the first thing to bloom en masse around here. Floridians joke about having only two seasons - hot and hotter - but we do have our own weird patterns. I suppose the other thing that makes me think of spring is when the oaks drop their leaves and then start pollinating. Everyone's cars are coated in a fine yellow powder these days and Dad and the neighbors have been up on the roof blowing all the leaves out of the gutters.

Melanie

It's the smell

Melanie, we've got those two seasons, too, but I call them dry and less dry. Well, really we have at least three legitimate seasons, and you could stretch it into four.

For me, daffodils signify the start of spring.

We really have some type of flower blooming here year round. In winter, it's camellias and flowering quince. But for me, those bright yellow daffodils are harbingers of spring.

This message was edited Apr 26, 2010 8:49 PM

How about all of the above?

The Daffodils. That is the first sign for me.

The purple martins arrive with their sound of spring! I always hear them before I see them.

I know it's spring when I look out the window and the weeds are suddenly 1-2 feet tall! The previous homeowner didn't believe in using weed and feed, only feed, since weeds are just as green as grass..... Maybe one day we'll get years of neglect under control, but at least the Spring weeds are pretty!

Photo was taken at the end of March.

Emma75: What a pretty picture! What kind of weeds are they? We live across the road from a small nature preserve
that's called "the heath". There are two small ponds and a cranberry bog out there. Our first sign of Spring are the frogs
and "peepers" sounding off. The downside is that the deer ticks and black flies also show up!

Emma, we have that stuff growing all over the place here, too. I keep meaning to look it up in one of my native plant books, but if anyone knows what it is, please enlighten me!

First peepers, pecans budding out, mowing, moving plants out, flip flops... all feel like Spring but for me it's the first "greening" rain. It is always startling when a rain turns the woods green overnight. Now, that is Spring for me.

I voted for barefoot days, but Kathleen is right...there is a certian smell of spring that is just wonderful.

Is this your 'weed'?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1003/

Incidentally, it is one of my favorite wildflowers....

Definitely the frogs. First we hear one or two advance 'scouts' and then the whole chorus starts. That also involves cracking the bedroom window at night.

I can definately tell its time when i hear tree frogs outside.......got a small pond in the front yard and when you go out there, the frogs are all you can hear! LOL

For us, spring is announced by the both the frogs and the red winged blackbirds returning to nest in the wetland behind us. The frogs sing at night and the birds sing during the day.

I was recently talking to a biologist who is working on wetland restoration in Las Vegas. He said they are not planning on introducing tree frogs to the wetland because the neighbors might complain about the noise. Can you imagine anyone being upset about hearing frogs? They might drown out the noise from the freeway once in a while. Of course, if the frogs happen to make their own way to the wetland I'm sure the biologists will be thrilled.

That's about as weird as folks complaining about roosters in the morning.

When I can put my houseplants outside and keep them outside, then it's finally spring here...frost warning tonight means I have to haul them all inside for the third time!
I used to think spring was here to stay when I started hearing the spring peepers happily chirrping away. Poor things must turn to 'peepsicles' a few times before the weather somewhat stabilizes...

To me Spring is here when I can see GREEN, anything, lawn, weeds, anything and everything that turns back to green instead of white, off-white, dirty white and brown................3,4 months of that and spring is here when there is green.

I would rather have tree frogs than the noises my neighbors make. Yeesh!

I know it's spring when my plumeria bloom!!

When the juncos vacate the birdfeeder.

Hepaticas ( and a lot of the little bulbs like Squill, etc)
(Of course they have been blooming for 2-3 weeks now and we did have a snow storm last weekend!)

Aconites. They're a joy to see each spring. If they bloomed any other time of the year I think I'd consider them weeds.

Hello All,
I voted for all the above, too! I went barefoot in March (and froze my tooties) but the dirt felt sooo good! The frogs started igetting serious about a week ago, but Crocus and Periwinkle bloomed before that - Spring kind of happens in a rush here, everything on the list within a week!
As for the Lawn - that's my husband's job. As some of you know, my opinion is that the only use for grass is when my mare is turning it into compost!
The tender houseplants have been in-and-out and the hardier ones (Artemesias, Rosemary, Bay and Jasmine) staying out unless it gets below 38*. Time for me to join them....Happy Spring!

LOL I know it's SUMMER when my plumeria blooms... It doesn't even have leaves yet.

Other: The Wakening of the Dahlias Festival ^_^

Snobear2, I'm not sure, but here's a close-up; they have a similar bloom shape as snapdragons, and really are gorgeous. There are huge fields of this weed all over town this time of year - one of my favorite sights!!! Maybe someone can ID?

What ever they are, they are beautiful. Wish I had some.

Melody, we have the salvia pictured blooming right now - I've seen some at the museum where I volunteer. But this "weed" is more purple than blue and the flowers are really tiny. Oh heck, let me go bust out my books and get cracking!

Melanie

I wonder if it could be a penstemon (http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Scrophulariaceae/Penstemon/none/cultivar/0/)? The Gulf Coast Penstemons I have look a little like that. (http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55963/)
Whatever they turn out to be, they are lovely!!

Chose Other: 2 things are spring for me.

1. From childhood, sighting robins and this year my first robin sighting was about 30+ of those fat pretties looking for food on the lawn.

2. My adult viewpoint: two of the lowest electric bills of the year:) No heat going and don't need the AC yet:) I spend that little windfall on plants of course:lol:

For me, spring is when the children can play outside without too much mud, the baseball games start on the radio, and the bulbs start blooming. My favorite is the tiny blue squill.