Ten reasons to love spring

It’s the time of year when everything in nature is changing and promising new life and new hope.

After the long, dark, winter months, spring is literally a breath of fresh air. And as the days get longer, the nights get shorter, and it starts to feel warmer, nature responds in a big way.

So step outside and be rewarded with a crescendo of bird song, a display of flowers bursting into colourful life and the welcome sight of animals not seen since last year.

Here are ten reasons to get out and enjoy the season, so what are you waiting for?

Bird song reaches a peak during spring, so it’s the perfect time to enjoy this treat for the ears. Our resident birds – such as blackbirds, great tits, robins and song thrushes – are already singing sweetly to proclaim ownership of their territories. As migrant birds return throughout the season, the songs grow in volume and diversity. But it’s not until the end of spring, when all our singing species are back, that the ensemble is complete and the dawn chorus is in full swing. There is no better alarm clock, if you like to rise early...


As warmer temperatures begin to take hold, it’s time for our hibernating animals to come out of their winter sleep. The UK’s most famous hibernating mammal is perhaps the hedgehog, but bats and dormice also hunker down over winter. For hedgehogs and bats in particular, slowing down their body processes during winter is the only way to survive when insects and invertebrates are hard to find and energy must be conserved. With the arrival of spring their food is back in supply and it’s time to get up for something to eat.

But it’s not just hedgehogs, bats and dormice we should look out for. Squirrels and badgers also become more active in the warmer weather and therefore easier to spot. And let’s not forget our amphibians and reptiles – they’ll be coming out of hibernation at this time of year, and are well worth keeping an eye out for.


For those looking forward to shorter nights and longer days, then look no further than 20 March. This is the spring - or vernal - equinox when the Earth's orbit around the sun results in almost equal lengths of day and night. The spring equinox is the astronomical start to the season, as opposed to 1 March which is the meteorological start.


There are so many wildflowers that deserve your attention coming into bloom at this time of year – and not just the obvious bluebells later in the season, although they are a spectacle which does have to be seen! Pop into your local woodland and seek out some of the other beautiful wildflowers on display. It’s best to go early in the season before the leaves on the trees close out the light. Make a beeline for yellow celandines, delicate white wood anemones and pungent wild garlic. Classics such as native daffodils and primroses are also instantly recognisable treats.



The first bumblebees and butterflies venture forth



There’s nothing quite like the excitement of seeing your first bumblebee or butterfly of the year. They’re one of the feel-good sights that give us a little taste of the summer to come. Warm days entice queen bumblebees from their underground hibernation sites to buzz around in search of flowers to gain energy and suitable places to nest. But it’s the early-emerging butterflies such as brimstone, peacock, orange-tip and speckled wood that usually grab the limelight with their colourful wings.



Mad March hares perform



The origin of the expression ‘mad as a March hare’ becomes very clear if you’re lucky enough to catch European brown hares engaging in a bit of eccentric leaping and boxing. It’s a courtship ritual of sorts, as the females are fending off the advances of over-amorous males. Spring is the best time to catch a glimpse of this spectacle while arable crops are still short enough in the fields not to hide the action.



Nature’s confetti fills the air



Blossom is arguably one of most iconic heralds of spring. Dense clusters of blooming flowers, whether on hawthorn, blackthorn or fruiting trees, are short-lived so it’s best to enjoy them before the subtle white and pink petals fall to the earth like nature’s own confetti. We’ve come to associate the spring blossom with ornamental fruit trees such as cherries, but it also includes plums and apples. Blossom is a sign of winter receding and the promise of a harvest to come.


Frogs and toads spawn



It’s not for everyone, but frog and toad spawn is as much a reason to love spring as bluebells and cuckoos are. Or so it should be: there’s a hypnotic beauty to the thick mass of clear jelly whose little black dots start to jostle to become the next generation of froglets and toadlets destined to leave the pond. It’s only after the night temperatures begin to rise that the adults come out of hibernation to congregate at ponds to breed. It’s a dangerous time, as many get killed crossing roads and a single late cold snap can spell disaster.


Old friends return



Nature is at its busiest in spring, with millions of migrant birds returning to our shores for the summer to breed. Some of the earliest to arrive, although you might not notice them, are chiffchaffs, wheatears and sand martins. A bit later and the herald of spring – the cuckoo – arrives. For many, its instantly recognisable call is the definitive seasonal sound. A few other notable arrivals, among many, are the dazzling swallows and the sweet-sounding nightingale.


Walks delight the senses



Last, but by no means least, take a walk in the countryside either as the sun comes up and starts to warm the air or last thing in the evening as the sun begins to go down. It doesn’t matter where you go, it could be down a winding country lane or into some woodland, just spend a few minutes taking in all the sights, sounds and smells around you as nature springs back to life after its winter slow down. If you should happen to go into the woods, then swathes of white snowdrops, blazes of bluebells or pungent pockets of wild garlic are truly set to delight your senses.