There has been evidence of spring lately. Last Sunday afternoon it was definitive.

Banks of fog in the morning

What you see here is drifts of fog in the low spots off to the east from the mountain at sunrise on Sunday morning, March 31. Saturday had been rainy, but during the night the clouds cleared and there was some nice radiative cooling. That cooled air settled in the low spots and the moisture in the humid air condensed. But that’s not a sign of spring; it’s common all year long. It’s what you don’t see here that is actually a definitive sign of astronomical or solar spring. The view off the deck towards town is due east, and the sun is coming up to the left, or north, in this view. On the first day of astronomical spring the sun rose due east, and since it’s too far north to be visible here, it is, by definition, spring, or at least past the vernal equinox. So at least in the solar sense that is proof, but spring comes at different times in different areas, and the location of the sunrise alone doesn’t mean spring is here on the mountain.

Faded daffodils and vinca

The daffodils have bloomed and faded. But daffodils can bloom early, and ours did. The vinca minor, or lesser periwinkle, in the background, blooms year-round. The blooms are more numerous in the spring, but they’re here all year long. So the daffodils and vinca don’t provide reliable evidence.

A hint of green on the mountain

A few trees on the mountain are showing some green. We’re later up here than down in the lower elevations. It’s a sign, but not definitive.

Blackberries greening and maples reddening

There’s green on the blackberry bushes and red on the maples.

Pine candles

The pines have brought out their candles but they haven’t been lit yet. I have seen, or rather felt, some pollen on the windshield, but nothing like the coat of gritty yellow we get later in the spring. But I have been seeing candles for a while. Not proof.

Dogwood buds

The buds have been on the dogwoods since last year, and they aren’t showing signs of opening yet.

I worked in the yard Saturday, and it was warm enough that I had to stop every few minutes to wipe sweat out of my eyes. But we can get 70-degree days in the dead of winter, so that’s not really a definitive sign.

No, the real sign that spring has arrived was something else that got into my eyes: bugs. The bugs were flying around my face, landing in my ears and committing suicide by diving into my eyes. They will pretty much disappear later as the weather gets really hot, but for the time being, they are a really annoying but pretty much definitive sign that spring is here.