Spring Is Here

The spring equinox happened on March 20. What does this mean?

When the sun shines directly on the equator, the length of day and night are almost equal, according to www.timeanddate.com.

The word equinox is from Latin meaning equal night. March’s equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator. This happens on March 19, 20 or 21 each year.

The next day, March 21, sunrise was at 7:12 a.m. and sunset was at 7:22 p.m. — almost equal time of day and night. Interesting.

What this means to most of us is we’ve moved from winter to spring even if we’re still a bit chilly temperature-wise and occasionally have March, even April snowfalls.

Still, we’re seeing daffodils popping up from the cold ground and tulips aren’t far behind. We have visions of summer petunias and day lilies dancing in our heads. We begin visiting the local garden stores for bulbs to plant in our flower beds and consider planting a new tree in the yard.

Just knowing we have moved into springtime can lift one’s spirits because pleasant days are here again. We’ll soon be seeing trees budding and flowers blooming all around us.

The equinox signals the beginning of nature’s renewal in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. A time when ladybugs and bluebirds appear. It also seems to renew our human spirits each year.

Spring is also a time when business owners and managers see more customers. For that reason we include a special issue that highlights what local businesses offer their customers this spring and year round. It also has some tips for gardening and photos of spring flowers.

We hope our readers will enjoy Hello Spring in the B section of this week’s newspaper.