Signs of Spring

Do you watch for robins as a sure sign of spring? Do you look for melting snow or for the first glimpse of flowers? For residents of Washington County, signs of spring are harder to spot. Weather can be unpredictable, fluctuating between freezing temperatures one day to the next where you regret wearing a jacket by mid-morning.

While spotting the first spring robin is encouraging for many tired of cold and snow, it isn’t a helpful sign of spring here. Populations of American robins shift southward in the fall, northward in the spring, but although individuals migrate in and out of Washington County, you can easily find robins year round here. You can be sure spring is truly here when “snowbirds” such as juncos and white-crowned sparrows that enjoy our mild winter flee up the mountains or move north to avoid the approaching heat. It is spring when turkey vultures can be spotted soaring above the desert again. Summer tanagers, yellow warblers, southwestern willow flycatchers, and other birds that retreat to the tropics find their way back and begin nesting.

For our native Virgin River fish, spawning typically occurs during peak spring runoff. As river water warms and snowmelt swells the river, conditions cue fish to begin spawning. The males of some species of our fish brighten during spawning, the lips and the base of fins of speckled dace turn a red color, the sides of desert sucker turn red, and Virgin River chub sport bright orange bellies and fins. High flows move sediment around on the bed of the river, and many of the fish search out fresh gravel patches. Eggs settle into the spaces between gravel and rock, preventing the eggs from being washed downstream.

Wildflowers can be found year round as well, though as spring truly settles in, you will notice wildflowers becoming much more diverse and abundant. If you want to see what is currently blooming in Zion National Park (or other locations), take a peek at this wildflower calendar. Spring is delayed the higher in elevation you go, to see the peak season for mountain wildflowers you may need to wait until July.

Spring is a tease here, waltzing in, tossing a few flowers around before sprinting out the door letting in the desert summer who plops on the couch and refuses to leave for much of the year. Best to find any way to get outside and enjoy it while you can!