Five Signs of Spring You Can See in Late Winter

The spring equinox is approaching in the northern hemisphere, but if you’re like me and live somewhere fairly far north, it’s still winter and it seems like spring might never arrive. Although I believe in appreciating each season for what it is, sometimes it’s good to remember that spring really is on its way, even when we can’t feel it in the weather just yet. Here are five signs of spring that careful observers can discover even when there’s still snow on the ground and an icy chill in the air.

The days are lengthening.

The sun may not be visible when gray clouds blanket the sky, but pay close attention to the cycle of day and night and you’ll notice that the days, which have actually been lengthening since the winter solstice, are starting to be noticeably longer. How much light is in the room when you open your eyes in the morning? What does the sky look like when you leave work or step outside in the evening? Paying attention to this subtle change over the coming weeks will remind you that warm spring days are not so far away.

The moon is going through its phases.

Sure, this happens year-round. But when winter lingers and everything on Earth seems to stagnate for a while, the moon phases remind us that the cosmic cycles are still active. Try to observe the moon every night and notice how it moves from dark to full and back again. This perpetual shift is a sign that nothing in nature is ever truly static.

Plants are getting ready to flower.

Yes, even in winter! Some plants, like the magnolia tree, produce their buds the previous summer and protect them over winter in a fuzzy coating. Is there a magnolia in your yard or at a nearby park? Spend some time with it and notice how it’s already prepared for warmer weather. Other plants, like skunk cabbage and some species of witch hazel, like to get a head start on spring by blooming before everyone else. If you visit a wetland, you may notice melted patches in the snow where heat-producing skunk cabbages have started to poke their distinctive flowers through the mud. And even classic spring blooms like daffodil and hyacinth sometimes send up shoots in anticipation of spring if they’re planted on the south side of an old building that leaks heat into the surrounding earth. University campuses are a good place to spot these eager plants. Even when we doubt that warmer days will ever arrive, nature trusts that everything will happen in good time.

Birds are preparing for the breeding season.

Early return migrants like tree swallows and red-winged blackbirds are already showing up in northern skies. Birds migrate based on day length, not temperature, so their arrival often precedes sunny spring days. Other birds that have spent the winter in northern climates, like chickadees and cardinals, start to change their behavior. Listen! Can you hear the whistle of a chickadee from the underbrush or the ringing notes of a cardinal from the top of the tallest tree? Birds begin to sing in late winter as they define their territories in anticipation of the breeding season. Sleep with a window cracked so you can hear their morning songs or put out a feeder so you can watch these harbingers of spring go about their business. As spring approaches, the presence of birds will become more pronounced until the trees glitter with flashes of color and the air is filled with birdsong.

Animals are about to give birth.

Squirrels are ubiquitous where I live, so it’s not hard to spot one or two with minimal effort. Can you see any squirrels? Notice their behavior. In late winter, female squirrels chirp and male squirrels start chasing them around. They’re getting ready to mate and produce offspring. In fact, some female squirrels have probably already given birth! Eastern gray squirrels have two litters per year: one in late winter or early spring and another in summer. The baby squirrels you might spot later could already be growing and getting ready to emerge from their nests. Rabbits, too, are changing their behavior. Eastern cottontails breed as early as February. Look for rabbits at dawn or dusk. You might see them cavorting: hopping, chasing, and leaping into the air. These animals time the birth of their young so vulnerable babies emerge into hospitable warmth.

It may not feel like it right now, but the Wheel of the Year is turning. As we follow through on our Imbolc intentions and get ready for the beginning of spring at Ostara, nature reminds us that change and growth are constant processes. Take some time to observe the world around you and ready yourself for the inevitable return of warmer days; they’re closer than you think.