What Signals Spring for You?

yosemite

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Forget the Cadbury creme eggs and the robins. My spring signal is the return of the red-winged blackbird. I saw 5 yesterday - one on my way to work and 4 on the way home and I was beyond excited. There is something about this bird that draws me in and I find I can hardly wait for spring to get my first glimpse of this pretty bird. I love the crocus and tulips but this bird is my all time favourite.
 

gemlady

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The male goldfinches are getting their mating plumage! Little patches of yellow feathers appearing here and there.
 
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yosemite

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Originally Posted by gemlady

The male goldfinches are getting their mating plumage! Little patches of yellow feathers appearing here and there.
Oh, I must go "google" them!
 

rapunzel47

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Here it's the flowering trees. Our quince was just getting started when that last cold snap came. I wonder if it will be OK.

If I were where you are, Linda, I'd be waiting for that first sunny day when you can smell the mud. For me that was always the first sign of the waking earth, and 35 years later it's the only thing I still miss about the east.
 
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yosemite

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Originally Posted by rapunzel47

Here it's the flowering trees. Our quince was just getting started when that last cold snap came. I wonder if it will be OK.

If I were where you are, Linda, I'd be waiting for that first sunny day when you can smell the mud. For me that was always the first sign of the waking earth, and 35 years later it's the only thing I still miss about the east.
Oh Fran, that is so true. You can smell the mud as it thaws. We haven't quite reached that part yet and it's interesting to see the marshy/boggy areas where the red-winged blackbirds nest still have ice covering the water. Makes me wonder how they are going to get those nests built down into the reeds with all that ice around so maybe they know more than us and the ice will be gone very soon.

We've been getting some lovely weather for the past few days. It's cold in the mornings (-1 this morning) but warms up to between 10 and 15 by noon. (I think 15C is around 60F which is quite nice actually.)
 

kara_leigh

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For me it is the smell also. I love the way it smells when Spring first sets in. Especially when it is warm enough to open the windows. It was 72 here yesterday, so we had our bedroom windows open all night and the smell put me right to sleep. I don't know what it is that smells so good, but I love it. My husband hates it, though. He says it smells like mildewing, rotting grass, but I don't think so.
 

darkmavis

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While Long Beach 'winter' isn't much of a winter (when visiting home in PA in Feb I remembered why i moved!), I LOVE the signs of Spring- to me it's longer daylight first and foremost (i honestly think i suffer from moderate SAD), and the beautiful flowering trees. I need to find out what they're called, but there's a few streets just lined with pink and purple flowering trees. Too pretty!
 

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For us it's two of the neighbourhood indoor-outdoor cats.


Tank (our nickname for him) a big old tuxdeo manx who shows up as soon as the weather gets nice and naps in the sun on our porch. He belong to one of our neighbours, but doesn't like to go outside in the cold.

Casey, one of the friendliest most talkative cats (belongs to another neighbour) starts greeting you at the door when you get home flopping over for belly rubs from whoever will pay attention to him....again, he hates to be out in bad weather.
 

GoldyCat

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When I was growing up in Illinois my mother always said that the red-winged blackbirds were the first sign of spring for her.

In Arizona, by the time I figure out that spring is starting it's already moved on into summer.
 

goldenkitty45

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Spring means snow melting and the temps are staying above 40-50 degrees for the most part.

I know we will probably get one more snow (in April, cause last year we went to the Fargo show and got in a whiteout with snow coming home)!

This week we've had 2 days of 60 degrees...........
 
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yosemite

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Originally Posted by GoldyCat

When I was growing up in Illinois my mother always said that the red-winged blackbirds were the first sign of spring for her.
I like your mom already!

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Spring means snow melting and the temps are staying above 40-50 degrees for the most part.

I know we will probably get one more snow (in April, cause last year we went to the Fargo show and got in a whiteout with snow coming home)!

This week we've had 2 days of 60 degrees...........
We've been having beautiful weather since last week. Hubby and I went out on Sunday and the weather was lovely. Today it's about the same - around 60, sunny and invigorating. The birds are chirping when I'm going to my car in the mornings. Spring is wonderful. I don't think I could enjoy living in a climate where there was no spring like we get.
 

calico2222

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Some of the bushes are getting green/yellow leaves on them so things are waking up, and I did see my first robin today!!


My FIRST sign of true spring is when the yellow hycinthia bush blooms across the road. It is a HUGE bush and is gorgeous. I checked it today and it does have little tiny green buds on it, but it isn't uncommon to see them covered in snow sometime in the spring. But, I think it's here!!

Plus, our yard is basically a mud pit again, so cleaning up muddy dogs prints is always a good sign of spring.
 
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yosemite

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Originally Posted by calico2222

Some of the bushes are getting green/yellow leaves on them so things are waking up, and I did see my first robin today!!


My FIRST sign of true spring is when the yellow hycinthia bush blooms across the road. It is a HUGE bush and is gorgeous. I checked it today and it does have little tiny green buds on it, but it isn't uncommon to see them covered in snow sometime in the spring. But, I think it's here!!

Plus, our yard is basically a mud pit again, so cleaning up muddy dogs prints is always a good sign of spring.
Aw, does Buttercup leave prints for you? I love that face!
 

kittybernard

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Pollen.. oh goodness, the pollen here is so thick, it's insane. Thank God I don't have allergies. Also around this time it starts hitting 80's/90's and my dyslexic seasonal affective disorder sets in.
Just kidding. Can't stand AZ when it's warm.. but I live here anyway!
 

calico2222

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

Aw, does Buttercup leave prints for you? I love that face!
Oh, yes indeed! Of course, I can track her to the cat's food and their litter boxes (hmmm...what dog paw is smaller than my hand) and she always tries to act innocent. "NO, mommy, it wasn't me!! *blink blink*"


She's a brat, but I gotta love her. Oh, the face in my siggy..that IS her innocent face, but more of her head cocked.
Yeah, cute but I'm immune to it now.
 

sarahp

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Allergies!

The car is covered in yellow pollen. I will clean the windscreen, part at home for a couple of hours and the windscreen will be covered again. Yuck!

Which reminds me, I need to refill my Rhinocort prescription...
 

laureen227

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SPRING BREAK!!! which i'm currently on, btw!
btw, high here today was around 83F...
 
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