Friday Five -Five signs of Spring!

For today’s Friday Five, write about five signs of spring that you look for each year and most especially this year.

Today is the first day of Spring! Here in the Midwest, we EAGERLY await spring, as the winters are long even in a relatively mild year. (this year was overall mild, but we had some periods that were unrelentingly cold and snowy.)

Five signs of spring that I look for...of course Robins. They migrate away in October and return in March. On March 5 two years ago, I took a photo of a tree full of them in the midst of a blizzard! This year, the Robins returned during mild weather and have been singing every morning! One friend says the return of the Red-Winged Blackbirds is more reliable harbinger of spring than the Robins. I saw and heard Blackbirds on a walk near the river last weekend.

The trees have leaf buds that are getting larger every day. By the end of April and early May we will have trees in bloom, the Crab apples and Redbud trees are my favorites!

Another sign of spring is the early flowers. Bulbs like Iris, Tulips and Daffodils, will poke leaf shoots up even through the last of the snow. The very first Crocus are in bloom now.

One of the surest signs is people's moods lighten! We tend to feel better as the days get longer and there is more sunlight. When we are able to go outside without bundling up in layers of clothing and scarves and gloves, we literally feel lighter! I've been walking outside, and our son has been on bike rides, some of which were very “splooshy” as he said, from riding through large puddles from snow melt! But that is spring in the Midwest, water and mud, late snowfalls, and sudden changes in weather. Winter gets me down, but I can not imagine living where there are not 4 distinct seasons....sometimes all in one day! :)