When does spring officially start?
We officially enter in spring on the Spring Equinox that this year is on the 20th of March.What are the first signs of spring?
Flowers
Snowdrops are brave pioneers, nosing through frozen ground at our places as early as January.
Soon after, the early bulbs come through - purple crocuses, iris, winter aconite and scillas.
Towards the end of February into March, yellow daffodils are cheering us up.
The last hurrah of spring flowers are the bluebells in early May. They're a beautiful, but fragile flower, be sure to stick to paths so you don't trample them.
The arrival of migrant birds
Sand martins are usually first to arrive, dropping back into their favoured nest sites around mid-March.
Their gorgeous cousins, the petrol-blue house martins, follow closely behind and tend to enter our skies as April arrives.
Swallows return around the same time while swifts, with their iconic sickle-shaped wings and joyful screams, bring up the rear, soaring back into the UK between April and May.
A surge in birdsong & Nest-building
You might notice the birdsong building from February as birds start singing again to attract mates or warn rivals off their patch.
In late March and April you can see evidence of remarkable workmanship. Blackbirds, robins and song thrushes build classic, bowl-shaped nests of woven grasses and twigs.They're often camouflaged with moss and lined with mud.
Rooks are more noisy and messy. They collect sticks and drop them on tree branches until they lodge and build up into a scruffy nest.
Other birds make use of existing holes in trees or under the eaves of roofs.
Tree - buds and blossom
Spring is a busy time for trees.
In early spring the tree roots start moving water and nutrients from the soil up to the rest of the tree.
The buds resting dormant since autumn are ready to burst into leaf when there's enough sunlight.
Many trees flower around this time. Some tree flowers are tricky to spot, although the confetti blossom of fruit trees or waxy blooms of magnolia are beautiful and obvious.
Early butterflies and bees
Warmer days rouse bees and butterflies from their winter slumber.
The first sign of a bumblebee or butterfly is a sure sign that spring is on its way. Hoverflies, some butterflies and hibernating bees will come out at the first sign of warm weather.The queen bees are searching for nests any time from February to April.
Some butterflies are immigrants from warmer climes in spring, others hibernate and overwinter as butterflies, eggs or caterpillars.
Would you like to know which British flowers are in season in early Spring?
Read our blog post HERE:
