Sunlight & Seasons Signs of the Season: Observations for April 2011 April brings the great greening. Nature's timing is perfect. Leaves emerge, insects hatch and birds arrive. The food chain comes alive after the pause for winter. Listen for new sounds, and observe the small changes that happen every day now. Fill in the maps with your sighting reports. Create a record of leaf out. Put it into a book you can keep and compare with each coming year. News: The Great Singing and Greening Observations: What's Happening to Sunlight Maps Orioles: Neotropical Migrants Explore: Leaf Out See: Related Journey North Lessons and Links Image of the Month Photo: Jean Iron How Many Snow Geese do You See? News: The Great Singing and Greening With longer days and warmer temperatures it feels like the Earth is awakening. "Spring is on the doorstep. The nighttime temperatures are 26 degrees but daytime are about 42 degrees F. The sun is bright and the cold is making for a great Maple Sap run." Across the globe in Bestovje, Croatia, students reported apricot, apple, and cherry trees showing their first blossoms, along with "wild violets and different wildflowers are blooming in the grass." The sweet song of the Western Meadowlark was just reported in Utah. "One of the most pleasant bird songs on the planet," wrote long-time participant Ron Hellstern. "I am not 100% positive but I thought I heard a cat-bird; is it too early?" asked an eager sighter from Massachusetts. What do you see today, on the first of April? Here's a sampling of recent reports: Recent Sighting Reports First blooms of the cherry trees in Bestovje, Croatia. What's Happening to the Sunlight? Are you tracking sunrise and sunset times, daylength, or shadows in your hometown? What have you noticed? These things continue to change very quickly! How do they affect the progress of spring? Imagine you're in space looking at Earth on the morning of April 1. This is what you'd see... How is sunlight changing? Please report your observations! Observe the natural world closely. Make drawings and record data. Look for patterns of seasonal change. Then report observations from your part of the world! North America (map/sightings) Europe (map/sightings) Orioles: Neotropical Migrants What "Neotropical" visitor is soon to arrive from a long journey across the Gulf? Find out what neotropical means and what is in store for us as spring brings these amazing fliers into our neighborhoods. Keep An Eye Open for Orioles Explore: Leaf Out One of the best places for observing the greening of spring could be in your own schoolyard. Erik is bud-watching and measuring as the trees start to grow in Port Jefferson, New York. He reported, "I noticed a bud: on March 9th is was 6cm., on March 18th it was 10cm., and on March 25th it was 13cm." Try This! Go out to your school yard and choose a tree with low enough branches that you can see the buds up close. Mark it with yarn. Visit your tree often. Take notes as it begins to green up. When the buds are just beginning to break you can start this leaf-out lesson. Here are some ideas for measuring, collecting, and preserving your leaves. Use all the notes and sketches you collect to make a beautiful accordion book! Fifteen Days of Spring: Creating a Record of Spring Leaf Out Create a beautiful record of leaf out this spring. Keep tree identification guides handy to identify your tree. Resources to Explore Student Journal: What signs tell you spring has arrived? Handout: Watching the Seasons Change (grades K-3) Handout: Signs of Spring Checklist (grades 4+) Report: Leaf Out Maps: Spring events and Signs of Spring Journal Handout: Signs of Spring: Clues About Seasonal Change Tool: Sunrise/Sunset Data Teachers: About Signs of the Seasons Keep observations, drawings, and checklists in easy-to-print Signs of Spring journals. Signs of Spring for May A reminder will be posted on May 1, 2011

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