Early Signs of Spring
in the Great Lakes regionSome of the most celebrated first signs of spring here in Toronto and the Great Lakes region …aren’t quite.
The purple crocus and white snowdrop blossoms poking through snow, for example, are beautiful sights, but these plants arrived with Europeans, making them relative newcomers to this land. They signal seasonal shifts and make any winter-weary heart hopeful, but the native ecosystem with its return and emergence of varied species is every bit as uplifting when we know what to look for.
Many of us already take note of our first American robin sighting of the season. Red-winged blackbirds and killdeer tend to migrate around the same time, marking the season too. More raptors return to our skies in March and April. Watch for a red-shouldered hawk or circle of turkey vultures.
Spend a few minutes studying the leaf fall in your garden and it might reveal a fuzzy two-spotted bumble bee, a smaller spring harbinger.
The mourning cloak butterfly is another species you are likely to notice if you are looking for it, just as the last of the snow melts.
Trillium, trout lily, spring beauty, and bloodroot are just a few of the early native spring ephemerals that bloom in Toronto’s wooded spaces and along ravine trails before trees fully leaf and sunlight can reach the forest floor. These are just a few of the signs of spring indigenous to this area.
Below are two graphics you might save to your phone (and downloadable posters if you’d like to print either, too) for some species to watch for in March and April. And if you spot any emerging bumble bees while you’re tracking spring, consider uploading your sightings to www.BumbleBeeWatch.org for conservationists.
