You know it's spring when....

When you start seeing Pepe Le Pewes all over the roads in a state of unatural sleep.


"eyes"

We have them here too, eyes! I rarely see 'em but I sure do catch the scent!

I know spring is on the way when I see daffodils blooming in everyone's yards

daffodils for me too, and bugs...got my first mosquitos today *eyeroll*

I voted other.

We can tell when spring arrives in the South of England for a number of reasons. First of all the dark gloomy clouds of winter get darker and gloomier and come closer to the ground, just to be oppressive. Also winter rain tends to be half hearted and drizzly, nippy nights of frost and an air of stillness. Winter days we have the pleasure of sunny days on occasion with no rain at all.

Spring rain is determined rain, it needs to impress the other seasons for some reason. This rain is invasive too, you not only get wet but feel as if you're taking on water beneath the skin. Along with the rain we get gales that makes it rain horizontally and lifts even the longest, heaviest skirt (that was Friday's adventure) so you're not sure how to keep the flapping garment from revealing everything to all and sundry.

We know it's mid spring when the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) blooms, then in the South we go into Blackthorn winter, in other words after about a month of no frost, it gets frosty again and all the plants we've sat out to harden off get the real acid test of survival.

We also know it's spring because the road works start and this coincides with the grockles (tourists) turning up for their weekends away. It's amazing how many people come and moan about the bad weather on the coast (what do they expect? We live in the same country, the Solent is considered a dangerous stretch of water which is prone to bad weather. If you want good weather go to Morocco, cheapskate!)

But the best way of knowing when spring is here is the selection of plants in the nurseries ... ahhh every cloud ..........

It's spring when I get to play outside!!! I come home, change clothes, and I'm outside until dark. I get to plant, transplant, and plan new gardens. I am one happy gardener!
Lorie in Indiana

The flowers of the China Berry tree.

I feel it is spring when I hear the meadowlarks sing. So far this year I heard one a couple of days ago, and it really didn't feel like spring. It was 12 degrees that morning. It was slightly warmer this morning 25 degrees. But the weather man says in the 50s all week. Donna

I'm a bit spoiled with the California weather and in our neck of the woods you know it is spring when the daffodils and hyacinths are already up by the end of February. So sorry to the east coasters buried in snow!

Guess I should have put some version of "All the above", huh?

The frogs are croakin', the daffs are bloomin', the bluebirds are househunting, I *could* raise the windows on the warmer days (if it weren't for allergies)....and some afternoons sitting in line to pick the kids up from school, I'm tempted to turn on the A/C!

Fuggettabout da calendar - spring has done sprung (I say with crossed fingers, hoping against hope that a late season snowstorm won't punish me for being so annoyingly jubilant!)

I accept spring as official when I see the Blue Heron who lives on a pond in the community during the summer flying in for some nesting time. By then we have wild 'flowers', the frogs/toads/crickets are singing full tilt, and the days are staying warm and getting longer. I can usually work outside in short sleeve shirts even tho I'm still in long pants as a rule. The cats go outside willingly for most of the day when the weather is nice. A couple try to be house cats 365 days of the years but we don't allow that.
Lots is happening here by the time I announce to the family that spring is really here.

This message was edited Tuesday, Mar 11th 9:09 AM

I know it's spring when the crocus bloom, but right now my yard is covered with 2 1/2 of new snow, so I can't see anything but white!!!
Karen, Zone 5a, Flagstaff, Arizona
Yes, it snows in Arizona, the whole state is not a desert!!

It's the bloom of the crocus for me!!
When I see their wee faces opening up for the sun, I know that spring has arrived, then at closer inspection I notice the first tulips and daffs poking their noses through the dirt, my bleeding heart and peonies have started to wake, and suddenly I realise that these little brutes have all been sneaking up on me for a week or so.

A lovely time of the year.


Wintermoor

i know its spring when the snow melts and the ice thaws! The birds return and flowers poke their heads up.
Right now I know its still winter-brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

when I see first swallows...

All the local forsythia is bursting!
My new one is but a twig. Next year, next year...

my spring begins to arrive when i see a robin, crocuses popping there heads out, the frogs peeping out back in a beautiful spring chorus and when i open the window i smell the earth. that smell is a sure sign that spring is on its way. you can not smell frozen earth. :)

When I see a snowdrop flowering, and when indoor plants start to grow.

Here in the Alps it's a bit silent in winter - spring for me is when the birds start singing again and return from wherever they've been hiding. Then the native birds are followed by the swallows; we're waiting for these at the moment - their chatter as they rebuild their nests in the barn is a real sign of warm weather approaching and we often hear them before we actually see them.

So, I voted for return of migratory birds but also there is the rapid appearance of snowdrops, wild primroses and daisies in the fields as soon as the snow disappears.

And then there's that itchy feeling in my fingers and I feel an irresistable urge to fill module trays with soil and sow seeds.

I love this time of year!

The snow is finally melting and I can see the crocus & daffs starting to pop up. Also seeing the buds & regrowth on my plants and trees has gotten me all excited. Thats the best sign of spring to me.

When the Killdeer come back doesn't necessarily mean that it's REALLY spring, I usually hear my first one around March 20th up here in Wisconsin. Snow on the ground, if they come back soon they will get their tailfeathers froze. What is really spring for me (I live on a farm, so this is a farm person view) is when I can go outside, take a deep breath, and smell dirt. Fresh earth........ummmmm, nothing like it. It's even better if a neighbor is out scratching around in a field with a disc or something like that. Can't mistake it then, when you smell dirt, it's spring.

... the frogs start peeping, the spiders & other bugs return, migratory birds return & start showing their true colors plus love is in the air, the smell of skunks returns, the weather starts warming...

LOL

For me spring is here when I can ride my horse and not freeze to death.....can't wait!!

I voted flower but I would have voted for 3 of them if I could including frogs and birds. I'm so excited about the weather this week I feel like a kid at Christmas. Loving every minute of it too!

i know there are no more frost when i see the egrets with the cows in the fields

When I see the Iris growing strong and then their flowers, I know it's Spring!

I know it is spring when I can't stand the windows and the doors shut any longer! I can't wait to get my hands dirty and smell that good old soil. My husband thinks I'm crazy.

When the ground is soft enough to work in. Like it is still froze solid down about 4 ft.
ßernie

I know it's spring when the rain and flooding starts.

the peacan trees start budding

When I get out of my rocking chair in front of the fireplace, throw all of the seed catalogs in the fire and put on my mud boots and join my dogs in the back yard.

LOL, Hummer52!

I voted other, although I once would have said "when you see the first Robin". Now I presume it is spring on MayDay when we pack up to head back to upstate NY for the season. It's already spring in Spring Hill as evidenced by the blooming Azaleas!

When the flowering plums in my garden start to pop..then I know!

I know spring is in the air when the rains turn from cold wintry blasts to warm gentle downpours. When the first trees burst out in fresh green leaves and the birds who stayed the winter seem to sing more often as the flit about gathering fresh nesting materials and billions of tiny baby snails are everywhere trying to stop the hosta from puting up a single perfect leaf by voraciously eating holes in them before the even get a chance to unfurl reminding me it is time to spread the soil surface with eggshells.

If I need an early sign, I can settle for the filbert catkins - but, of course, those happen in January/February. Otherwise, the flowers of the Indian Peach (Osmaronia) are there even before the pussy willows are coming on strong - and that is definitely "IT".

I know it's spring when I always have dirt under my fingernails; when I hear my noisy new baby chicks; when I need to switch from my "sun's coming up" morning bath to an "after the sun goes down and I finally come in" evening bath; when I spy Abigail and Mallard Fillmore, a pair of ducks who return each March to my creek to lay their eggs; when I get that first whiff of the dumptruck load of horse manure my nice Belgian Draft breeder/neighbor brought me in January; when the brown of winter takes on the faint cast of green I get when I hand grind cadmium yellow pigment to mix oil paints to create my "Daffodils" masterpiece - soon; when I frequently take in very deep breaths and exhale with a satisfied sigh. Then it's spring to me.

Daylight Savings Time....when you get that precious extra hour of light in the evening to enjoy doing whatever there is to do outside ! (even if it's just goofing off)

here it's the smell - you walk out and suddenly the sharp, cold winter smell is gone and there's a scent of spring - open ground, some sweet early bulbs, grass growing, all the winter's sludge slipping off. I don't expect it for about a month, maybe more if the weather continues on as it has!

I have to say its when the Forsythia bloom spring is here.

Paul