Spring brings an unfurling of leaves, lengthening daylight hours, and new life.
It’s not difficult to see the change of the season with the warming days or to see signs of life and growth.
Below are some activities that you can engage in this spring to notice and pause in appreciation for the season.
These activities are inclusive and accessible for little ones too.
Notice the Bird Song
In 2024, the redwing blackbird returned a few weeks earlier than typical.
The mild winter and the warm breeze hastened their arrival to the cattail-lined pond that borders my one-acre plot of crops.
A few weeks after their return, they begin building nests that bend with the reeds in the wind; their conk-la-ree and musical trill accompany me throughout the warming spring days as I sow seeds and transplant the first crops of the new season.
Birds of all varieties will start mating and nesting in the coming weeks, so hang your bird houses in welcoming areas of your yard.
When you step outside, what birds do you hear? Can you see them?
Go on a Scavenger Hunt
There is so much life on display as spring arrives and grows stronger.
There are many things to notice and appreciate after a long, snowy winter.
On your next walk, use this scavenger hunt to enlighten your senses and strengthen your appreciation for the season.
If you have little ones, you could use this scavenger hunt to notice how spring appears in your backyard, neighborhood, or local park.
Honor the Spring Equinox
The vernal or spring equinox arrives on March 19 at 11:05pm EST, creating a day and night (nox) length that are quite close to equal (equi).
From here, the daylight hours grow longer until their zenith at the summer solstice.
Equinoxes recognize the “balance” between day and night, light and darkness.
Make a list of the things in your life that are joyful and birth light into your life. Then make a list of the things that birth joy even in darkness.
Springtime is often regarded as a beginning – the beginning of a new “year”, beginning of new life, beginning of new cycles. So if you never made any goals or resolutions for the new year, this is a great time to create a list.
Get Ready to Plant Something
With the spring-like temperatures popping up, you may be ready to welcome new life.
My friend Fran, flower farmer and owner of Heirloom Soul Florals sells Dahlia tubers that she grew on her farm in Burt, NY.
Her dahlia tubers are organically-grown with no pesticide/herbicide residues, inspected for quality and disease control, and she sells only her own dahlia tubers stock that has been lovingly grown, harvested, divided and stored on her farm — she does not buy and resell bulk dahlia tubers from elsewhere.
Local pick up of the dahlia tubers is an option on from her floral design studio in Lockport, NY or you can have the tubers shipped to you or anyone you love in the U.S.!
If you have a garden-loving, flower-growing friend in your life, these are a special way to celebrate them.
She also has some killer resources if you’ve never grown dahlias before (like me!), including a book she wrote – Growing Gorgeous Dahlias (order it here).
Build a Nest
Some springs seem like they take forever to arrive.
But when snow has melted and you can see the ground again, you or your little ones can take some time to make something that is the ultimate sign of springtime — a nest!
Take a walk and collect items that you can use to build a nest like a bird.
Items like:
- sticks
- long grasses
- tender willow branches
- ribbon, string, or yarn
Twist and weave the items together to make the shape of a nest. (This is where the ribbon can come in handy!)
Then fill it with leaves or tender green spring plants.
Eat Springtime Wild Greens
As the weather warms, “wild” spring greens will be available at the farmer’s market and in your yard.
Spring greens, like dandelion, stinging nettle, chickweed, sorrel, and plantain, emerge to provide a detox of the heavy starch root veggies (potatoes, squash, beets, etc.) that fill our winter tables.
With grocery stores, different “seasons” of produce are available at all times of the year. This is wonderful, but our bodies can suffer from this.
Eating locally from food sourced at a producer-only farmer’s market, helps your body balance itself after the winter, by embracing the detoxing spring vegeteables that line the tables.
Spring greens aren’t a go-to for many people, but the detoxing effects of them is profound.
If you’re cautiously curious about how you might enjoy them, here are a few ways:
- chopped and added to meatballs
- topping pastas or added into risotto
- alongside white beans with eggs
- dandelion meatloaf
How will you embrace the spring season this year?
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