Signs of Spring: Observations for February 2010

This Month
Are YOU ready to track spring's journey north? Thousands of students are watching and waiting for the migrations to begin. Send us your sightings. Keep your eyes and ears open and follow along on spring's adventures with Journey North!


What clues can you find?
Photo: Dave Mansell

How the Season is Changing

Bluebird pairs are checking out nesting boxes in Bangor, Pennsylvania. Pond turtles (red-ear sliders) observed sunning on bank of pond, out of hibernation in Montgomery, Louisiana. And, large swings in temperatures across the east are sending tulips and daffodils up out of the soil. All signs that spring is arriving!

Keep your eyes and ears open and report your first earthworm, frog, robin, hummingbird, monarch, and all other animals and events found on the Journey North Spring Checklist!


What does spring "look" like in other places? Go to any spring event map or the Signs of Spring map. Click on a dot to read an observer's report.
What's Happening to the Sunlight?

Are you tracking sunrise and sunset times, daylength, or shadows in your hometown? What have you noticed? Some important things have changed since the last update. In Minnesota we have gained 62 minutes of sunlight since the shortest day of the year on December 21 (winter solstice).

Imagine you're in space looking at Earth on the morning of February 1. Here's what you'd see!

  • Follow the angle of the sun across the Earth each month since last fall.
Bear Cubs Born in the Winter

Bear cubs are born in January and February—in the deepest wintertime. Hibernating momma bears only briefly wake up to give birth, and then resume their deep sleep. The bear cubs do not hibernate. When they are born they weigh under a pound and are about 9 inches long. The cubs spend the next 2 months eating and growing inside the den! Learn more about bears.

  • Watch Live Video: New born cub through a web camera at the North American Bear Center. Follow along with biologists Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield as spring progresses!

Photo: Wayne Kryduba
The entrance to this bear's den is covered with snow but for a small hole.
Outdoor Observations for February: Draw What You See

When you make your February observations, try adding a new twist. As you look carefully at how living things change, choose at least one thing to draw (an adopted tree or crawling insect, for instance). Here are some tips:

  • Try to draw what you see rather how you think something should look.

Photo: Jon Sullivan
  • Try to draw what you see rather how you think something should look.
  • Look at colors, shapes, behaviors, numbers, and the surrounding habitat.
  • After drawing an object, move closer so you look at just a small area up close. How do you "see" differently when you do this? What new questions or discoveries do you have?
  • Will what I'm drawing change as seasons change? How do I think it will it change?

Add your observations to your Signs of Spring journal, handout, or checklist (see Resources, below).

Resources to Explore
Keep observations, drawings, and checklists in easy-to-print Signs of Spring journals.
Signs of Spring for March
A reminder will be posted on March 1, 2010