With the first day of spring behind us, Minnesota gardeners are feeling a little antsy, and who can blame us? Even if temperatures can’t decide which season they’re loyal to, nature is dropping plenty of hints that spring is quietly slipping in. Phenology, or noticing nature’s small seasonal clues, gives us a reassuring nudge long before the calendar or forecast does.

Let’s take a walk through the subtle, silly, and spectacular signs of spring showing up right now.

Birds Are Calling It: Spring Is On the Move

• Great Blue Herons heading north as wetlands begin to open.
• Robins poking around muddy tire tracks for exposed insects.
• Redwinged Blackbirds returning to cattails, trumpeting spring’s arrival.
• Cardinals singing louder as daylight increases.
• Canada Geese pairing off, nesting season is underway.
• Bald eagles brooding or repairing nests, another solid seasonal shift.

Wildlife Offering Clues Too

• Raccoons out and about, done with winter napping.
• Starnosed moles stirring as soil slowly warms.
• Squirrels performing energetic courtship acrobatics.
• The unmistakable whiff of skunk, an official Minnesota spring alert.

Early Pollinators: A Quiet Awakening

• Solitary bees will soon emerge from leaf litter and hollow stems, so don’t rake yet.
• Mourning Cloak butterflies fluttering on sunny, mild days.
• Queen bumblebees appearing early, hungry, and ready to start new colonies.

Spring Ephemerals: Almost Showtime

• Swelling buds on bloodroot, hepatica, and pasqueflower.
• Brightening stems on dogwoods and willows as sap begins to flow.
• Snow trillium blooming along melting edges if you look closely.
• Mosses and lichens glowing green with spring moisture.

Other Signs Spring Is Tiptoeing In

• Snowbanks shrinking into sad little piles of gravel.
• Ice fishing houses vanishing from lakes almost overnight.
• The sun feeling warmer, even when you can still see your breath.
• Dogs insisting on sniffing every mud puddle.
• And yes… Minnesota’s weather rollercoaster keeps us afraid to stash winter coats, just in case Mother Nature is teasing us with another “false spring.”

What Gardeners Should Do Right Now

Start warmseason seeds indoors: tomatoes, peppers, basil, coleus, and other annuals areideal. Check trees for winter damage and prune while they’re still dormant (skip spring bloomers and avoid pruning oaks after April). Hold off on yard cleanup a bit longer since pollinators are still tucked into that leaf litter. And above all, don’t rush planting outdoors, Minnesota’s frost risk is far from finished.

Spring may be taking its time, but nature is nudging us forward one subtle sign at a time.

For more news from U of M Extension, visit www.extension.umn.edu/news or contact Extension Communications at extdigest@umn.edu. University of Minnesota Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

By University of Minnesota Extension