What Did The Bee Say To The Daffodil?… Hey Bud When Are You Open?
Today I heard on the news that it was what Meteorologists refer to the start of Spring, this however is not the Spring that most of us regard as the true Spring.
The Vernal Equinox which is the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of Fall in the Southern Hemisphere is the one most people think of a the beginning of Spring. The Vernal Equinox or Astrological Spring begins this year on March 19th and will be the earliest it has occurred since 1896. The Equinox varies from 89 to 93 days. The Vernal Equinox is based on the position of the sun because of the tilt of the Earth on its axis and the sun crossing above the equator. This will have an affect on many things as we know them. Although the sun will rise earlier and set later it will also affect the speed of these occurrences.
It assists Birds and Butterflies with their migration as well as promote seed sprouting, the development of roots and foliage as well as the blossoming of spring flowers. Meteorological Spring is based on the Georgian calendar and was brought on to accommodate the ability to provide more accurate comparative statistics on weather over the years. Each season being 3 month in length so Spring will be March, April and May. Summer will start June 1st.
Prior to the Vernal Spring we will be Springing Forward which I find an inconvenience at best. It was initially started by an entomologist by the name of George Hudson and it was done to assist him with finding and studying insects.
Canada was the first to start this tradition in 1908 but it spread rapidly around the world. Europe adopted this event during WW1 to save on coal and fuels. Now we keep it around to give more of the working public earlier daylight in the morning and when we spring forward it gives them some daylight hour to enjoy when the get off work. 50 years ago Saskatchewan bowed out and since then there are some areas in BC, Quebec, the Yukon and Nunavut have done the same.
This time change has the benefits as mentioned above but also many negative affects. The increase in Stroke and Heart Attack increase by 7 percent for the first few days following the change. Loss in productivity is significant for several days as well costing a significant loss to companies and government. The loss of an hour of sleep affects many adversely and may be the reason for an increase of car accidents as well as a 17 percent increase in traffic related deaths. I personally don’t like it and it does take a bit to get back on track.
We certainly didn’t get the snowfall I was hoping for and by the time I got out to blow it around its was like trying to deal with a giant slushy, however the snowfall in the mountains now has us within 64 percent of normal with more coming over the next few days. Not good for avalanche risks but much better for a good spring runoff and hopefully for fire prevention this summer. Lake levels are extremely low and water conservation will be on all our minds. I am so sorry to hear that Texas is experiencing the worst fire events ever and it is spreading to other states now as well, hopefully some rain will head their way.
Happy Gardening!
Samantha Nason
BS Ranch & Greenhouses
250 547 6567
sam1nason@gmail.com
