Signs of Spring

In our younger days (which were only a year or two ago, right?) the first day of spring was celebrated on March 21. Now, astronomers and calendar manufacturers say that the spring season started today, March 20, in all time zones in North America. So, belated Happy Spring

Spring’s arrival is old news to the trees and flowers around the Frog & PenguINN. Most started blooming a week or more ago.

Spring comes in between the 19th to the 23rd of March and at different times. It changes on a yearly basis because the first official day of spring is the (Spring) Vernal Equinox. This is when the sun is directly above the equator. It rises due East and sets due West and  not on the exact same day every year. WHY? Because the calendar is not exactly 365 exact days every single year.

It’s confusing to me (and maybe to you?) how the first day of spring can be changeable. In doing some online research, I learned that seasonal dates can vary since a year is not an even number of days and neither are the seasons. And, that the earth’s elliptical orbit is changing its orientation (skew), causing the earth’s axis to constantly point in a different direction, called precession (think of a gyroscope rotating). Since seasons are defined as beginning at strict 90-degree intervals, these positional changes affect the time the earth reaches each 90-degree location in its orbit around the sun.

That being said, it is certainly looking like spring around here. Crocus and daffodils are popping up.

Forsythia are in blooming . . .

Robins are calling for mates  . . .

Happy Spring – whenever and wherever it arrives!