Have you seen this lovely flower yet this spring?
These spring nature facts cover birds, babies, flowers, and more in the Rocky Mountains. I hope these fun facts get you excited about this wonderful time of year.
Spring officially arrives in the Rocky Mountains on March 20. I always find that ‘official’ date kind of arbitrary. Some years it feels like spring arrives sooner than that and other years it feels like winter until late May. Regardless of when it arrives, spring is a great time to be in the Rocky Mountains. Here are some cool spring nature facts to get you excited about this time of year.
5 Spring Nature Facts In The Rocky Mountains
Not all animals give birth in the spring. I know that the common stories around spring are that it’s the time of year when babies are born. It may be true that many animals give birth in the spring, but not all of them. Some animals, including bears, give birth in the winter.
The American Kestrel is one of the many birds that migrate north in the spring.
Spring is the time when many birds migrate back north to the Rocky Mountains from their winter homes. The birds that make this journey back to the Rockies include American kestrels, hummingbirds (yep, even these tiny birds migrate), swallows, and ospreys.
A mourning cloak is an early butterfly to see in the spring.
In addition to birds and mammals, you may see butterflies in the spring. The Mourning Cloak butterfly is commonly seen in the spring. This butterfly has a unique winter survival strategy that makes it one of the first ones to be seen in the spring. It actually lives all winter in its adult form. Then when it’s warm enough, it comes out and looks for a mate.
Leaf buds opening up on a maple tree. Photo via Flickr.
It’s common to talk about how the trees are all budding. Did you know that the buds are on the trees all winter long? Yes, those buds are on the ends of the twigs all winter long. They protect the tree. Then in the spring, when the days are warming up, the buds open up and the new leafs start growing again.
Beautiful Arrowleaf Balsamroot flowers!
The spring is a great time to see some amazing wildflowers in the Rocky Mountains. After a long, white, dull winter the first flowers that pop out seem to really stand out. Here are four common spring wildflowers in the Rocky Mountains.