Signs Of Spring / myLot

United States

March 5, 2016 2:59pm CST

When I was young my mother always told me one of the first signs of spring was the return of the robins. Where she grew up in New England that may indeed have been a harbinger of more pleasant weather. Here in North Carolina, especially in recent years, it seems the robins don't disappear completely so there is nothing special about seeing one in February or March. One thing that does say spring is coming is the blooming of the flowers. We have many azalea bushes around our house. One of them has already begun showing pink buds nearly ready to bloom. Normally, the azaleas don't bloom for another month, at least, but it was nice to notice these flowers making an early appearance in our yard. What are some of the first signs of spring where you live?

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12 responses

Always smiling

@allknowing (153530)

• India

6 Mar 16

Here in India there is no such thing as arrival of spring as the seasons tend to overlap somewhat

2 people like this

DW Davis

@DWDavis (25797)

• United States

6 Mar 16

@lexiconlover wrote earlier that Florida is much the same way, with only mild variations of the seasons.

DW Davis

@DWDavis (25797)

• United States

7 Mar 16

@lexiconlover I remember you mentioning those, and A talked about them, too.

DianneN

@DianneN (254926)

• United States

8 Mar 16

Depends where I'm living at the time. Here in FL it has been one continuous spring and summer. In CT it is the robin and daffodils.

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DW Davis

@DWDavis (25797)

• United States

8 Mar 16

When to the lilacs bloom in Connecticut? One of the things I miss about New England is the lilacs. My grandfather's house had a big lilac bush (tree) in the backyard.

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Marsha

@MarshaMusselman (38865)

• Midland, Michigan

9 Mar 16

@DWDavis I would think you could purchase lilac bushes from online if the stores in your area don't sell them. What I'd like is a rose of sharon, they don't smell as heavenly as lilacs but they're quite pretty too.

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DianneN

@DianneN (254926)

• United States

9 Mar 16

@DWDavis Lilacs bloom in the spring, after the daffodils. We have a beautiful huge lilac bush that smells heavenly. It reminds me of my dad's two bushes that he had when I was growing up, too.

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Blondie2222

@Blondie2222 (28610)

• United States

8 Mar 16

We see more birds when spring has arrived and the weather gets nicer. This whole week is supposed to be 60's and 70's so that means spring is around the corner.

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DW Davis

@DWDavis (25797)

• United States

8 Mar 16

I was pleasantly surprised today to notice it was in the upper 70s when I left school, with sunny blue skies. Unusual but welcome this time of year. Weather this warm usually means clouds and rain.

Marsha

@MarshaMusselman (38865)

• Midland, Michigan

5 Mar 16

The robin is Michigan's state bird, so we did grow up thinking that was the first sign of spring, but in later years they've come a bit earlier than they should. I pay attention to the flowers too. I saw tulips starting to grow above the surface of the ground before the major snow storm this past week. I'm sure a little snow won't hurt them. I remember the azaleas and dogwood coming out in plenty especially in Fayetteville where they were everywhere it seemed. Others here have referenced the robin already, and for some reason I never thought of it being the first bird seen in other states or countries. Maybe that is due to my seeing certain flowers in abundance earlier than we'd ever see any robins. Especially in the warmer states like NC. I lived in Greenville for two year, but spend time in several cities there for special church events.

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robins

spring flowers

DW Davis

@DWDavis (25797)

• United States

6 Mar 16

I didn't realize the robin was Michigans state bird. I wonder what other states have adopted it, if any. I haven't seen any tulips here, but the daffodils have been coming out since our last spell of warm weather.

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Marsha

@MarshaMusselman (38865)

• Midland, Michigan

9 Mar 16

@DWDavis It's still a bit too early here for many flowers in gardens, especially since the last three weeks we had snow at least one day. April first is when the garden centers begin selling their outside flowers, but it's not recommended to plant any until well into May because we could still get a hard frost before then. With this funky year and winter we've had, I'm sure people will try to plant earlier than usual. I hope they don't lose their plants to the weather.

Lenore Plassman

@sallypup (69176)

• Centralia, Washington

5 Mar 16

I miss azalea bushes. They don't grow well here. Signs of Spring? Warmer nights and not scraping ice off the windshield in the morning.

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DW Davis

@DWDavis (25797)

• United States

6 Mar 16

I love azaleas but I do wish lilacs would grow here in eastern NC. I remember the lilacs in my grandfather's backyard in Massachusetts when I was little and we'd visit. They were so pretty and had such a great scent.

Lenore Plassman

@sallypup (69176)

• Centralia, Washington

6 Mar 16

@DWDavis Must be the soil. We have lilacs everywhere here. We're opposites!

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DW Davis

@DWDavis (25797)

• United States

6 Mar 16

@sallypup My mother always said it was because the summers here in NC were too hot for the lilacs. The real reason isn't the high temperature, it's the amount of time it stays hot and the short duration of the freezing temperatures.

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The Horse

@TheHorse (238313)

• Walnut Creek, California

6 Mar 16

Here in California, it's the green grass after the December and January rains. Then there's the miner's lettuce (in the hills) and then the wildflowers. Also doves starting to nest and lay eggs. We have that already.

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DW Davis

@DWDavis (25797)

• United States

6 Mar 16

Spring comes a little earlier to your part of California than it does to my part of N Carolina. We are expecting very springlike weather this week with temps reaching the mid 70s by mid-week.

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The Horse

@TheHorse (238313)

• Walnut Creek, California

6 Mar 16

@DWDavis Yes, California's "seasons" are a bit wacky. Everything will be brown (they try to sell it as "golden") by May.

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Marlina

@marlina (154103)

• Canada

6 Mar 16

Where I live in Ontario, Canada, I consider the first sign of real Spring when I see my first robin.

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Marie

@Tampa_girl7 (54715)

• United States

6 Mar 16

My quince is full if red blossoms.

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Kristen Howe

@KristenH (33591)

• Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

10 Mar 16

Warm weather and sunshine. Some birds.

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Canadian Archer

@HebrewGreekStudies (1646)

• Canada

5 Mar 16

Here we tend to go through a thaw, and during that thaw we will sometimes even see blooms...it can be misleading;/, and with some flowers, actually seems to damage them for the coming grow periods. This year has been more extreme, both in terms of coldness and mildness...but either way, uh, this being Canada, I'm way looking forward to spring. I just get tired of my house door freezing shut;/

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Scott Ganschow

@teamfreak16 (43600)

• Denver, Colorado

5 Mar 16

Here? Definitely more cyclists and joggers out.

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Kerry

@lovebeingmummy2 (806)

• Aberdeen, Scotland

8 Mar 16

We see snowdrops and baby lambs in Scotland

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