Signals of spring

When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.” —Ernest Hemingway

If you want to split hairs, spring in the northern hemisphere doesn’t officially kick off until 10:46 a.m. on Friday, March 20.

But according to local experts, it’s been quietly tiptoeing in the past few weeks.

Mimi caught up with her favorite Park Biologist Megan Hart of Lake Metroparks to chat about the subtle shifts, sights and sounds you might be missing that nature is answering its wake-up call.

How do you define “waking up?” Megan reports the only animals to truly hibernate in our region are groundhogs and some bats. Others, like reptiles and amphibians, go through brumation, emerging on warm days to bask and drink water. And mammals like black bears go through torpor, where breathing and heart rate slow, but body temperature does not go as low as hibernation.

“Louder bird chatter is a sure sign of spring,” she says. “Since this is the time of year that eagles and owls are going through their courtship rituals, you’ll notice interesting behaviors. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch eagles in a wooing activity where the male and female lock talons and fly straight up into the air, then free-fall downward and separate just before they hit the ground. It’s like the ultimate trust fall.”

She says we’re also in the middle of what’s known as “skunk love” season, so you’ll notice more of that skunky smell. These malodorous mammals are as tenacious as they are pungent, routinely traveling up to five miles to find a mate. 

And speaking of skunks, Megan reports one of the first flowers to erupt, the skunk cabbage, is a perfect early sprouter since it produces its own heat to melt the perimeter of snow around it.

While you can see these signs of spring in any of the Lake Metroparks, Megan recommends Indian Point Park, Lake Erie Bluffs and Girdled Road Reservation as prime spots to bear witness.

Lake Metroparks provides more than 4 million visitors each year with educational and recreational programs. For more information, visit LakeMetroparks.com.