You know it's spring when........

and in places like NYC they don't even have tornado sirens!

The lilacs are now in bloom, a month earlier than usual

We're in full summer leaf and it's early down here too.

The white lilacs have been in full bloom for the past month and are nearly done flowering, just in time for the purple lilacs to burst into full bloom. Everything is at least a month ahead of schedule here too, even nesting for the birds.

Lovekitties, since NYC doesn't have tornado sirens but has had tornadoes in recent years........why don't they just come up with a different way of sounding off those old WWII air raid sirens as a warning when a tornado is coming?

I was actually thinking the same thing, Fif. I don't know how many of the old air raid sirens are still viable, though. They;ve even done away with most street fire alarm boxes

They could check them out, I'm sure if they find a few that don't work they can be fixed. Much cheaper to fix up the old ones then putting in all new sirens all over town.

And you know it's spring when you have butterflies in the hallway again.....

well, it feels like winter again. LOL. 49 degrees this morning and a raw wind blowing, but supposed to go up to 60 so not complaining. i guess it's just where it should be

the rose bushes are starting to bloom, once again a month early

Irises are in full bloom here, and the crabapple trees have teeny tiny lil apples on them already.

I love crab apples, especially crab apple jelly.

I just planted a couple baby crabapple trees. We had 2 when we moved in, but Hurricane Isabel took them down. Our irises are blooming and the azaleas are almost finished. You know it's spring when the blue grosbeak bird shows up!

The butterflies are really back this year. Joysanna left dill plant in the garden and
they are attracted to that. All sorts butterflies. Maybe one of these days I will be able to
get a picture. Still no hummingbirds.

haven't seen too many butterflies around, but the open overgrown lot that drwe them is gone,replaced by a Walgreens and Rainbow shop.
A couple of years ago I saw a Monarch butterly sitting on a plant and was taking a picture when I realized that it had a broken wing. I was depressed all day

I haven't seen a monarch in years. So far I've been seeing Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, and Cabbage White and Yellow spot butterflies.

had a big ole housefly in my apartment Saturday
and there was one flying around the office today

A huge dragonfly got caught in my outer hallway yesterday and couldn't figure out how to get out on his own. I gave him some help. He wasn't happy about being in my net though.

when I think of dragonflies I think of Longwood gardens, a beautiful Botanic Garden developed by the DuPonts and given to Pennsylvania. It's in the brandywine River area. Anyway, they have gorgeous water gardens with lily plants and lotus and there are so many dragonflies zipping around. I love it

I figure we have dragonflies since we're less than a mile from the river. We also have multiple birdbaths for water, and plenty of security light at the building and surrounding businesses to attract plenty of insects that they eat.

birdbaths. They are banning them here as they have "standing water" and they want to ward off the mosquito problem

well, technically it's not spring yet, but the little crocus, and hyacinth and daffodils are showing their little green shoots. The starlings are starting their couting dances and it's almost light when I leave the house in the morning so I'm getting the full dawn chorus

I'm in the middle of a full-scale blizzard right now...

It sure does't look like spring here.......no crocuses at the library peeking out of the ground yet. The only birds I hear in the morning on my way to work is the feather hedge complaining about the weather.

i commiserate with my poor fellow Mutties caught in the middle of that blizzard in the midwest. Its been raining here since yesterday and we had some high winds, but it will be in the 50s today (though back in the 40s the rest of the wee. Still, thats better than the frigid weather we've been having

Thanks, LK. I should add here that before the snow hit yesterday, I also saw the very first tips of daffodils poking up through the soil. Won't be seeing them again anytime soon though...

I saw the first blooming daffodil here this week. Not at my house yet, but inland... Spring is coming here in the northern South. I'll make sure to tell it to visit all the frozen Mutties.

You do that......we have NOTHING trying to sprout or bloom here yet. Just snowflakes.....