I know I say this way too often, but I really, no, really, do not like cold weather. That is why I get more excited than most about the possibility of warm weather headed our way. Even though today, April 8, my weather app says the temperature is only 33 degrees (with a "feels like" temperature of 24 degrees, due to our incessant South Dakota wind), I have proof that spring is coming.
My husband tells me the recent arrival of robins signals spring. He is right, of course, but now I've noticed that some robins stay all year long in this impossible climate, so the birds may not be as reliable as they were in the past.
Now I have data based on observations collected by a group of “citizen scientists”. Yesterday on Public Radio, I heard that these observers’ sure sign of spring - the color green -has started to appear, as the climate guy said, "As far north as Sioux Falls, South Dakota." Yes, Sioux Falls finally has Minnesota (my beloved home state) beat. We are seeing spring. At least, that's what the observers tell me.
I found a map by the USA National Phenology Network (definition of phenology: the science of seasonal cycles and how they're affected by climate and habitat. Observing the movement of migrating birds or noting when the leaves start changing color in the fall is all part of phenology). The Phenology Network’s website has many maps, but I was interested in the "Spring Leaf Index", which records the first leafing of early spring shrubs and other plants. Take a look at the yellow creeping up the map:
Yup, indisputable proof: spring has finally arrived. There is no going back. Temperatures be damned.
This brings me great JOY.
Happy spring!!