46 Surprising Spring Facts That Will Shock and Delight You

Published January 10, 2017Updated April 1, 2019

Spring isn’t just flowers and sunshine; it’s packed with shocking, surprising, and downright weird facts. From human behavior to animals, history, and nature, these spring facts will make you see the season in a whole new way.

Spring Basics

The first day of spring is called the vernal equinox.
The term vernal is Latin for “spring” and equinox is Latin for “equal night.”_[18]
Equinoxes affect the poles dramatically
On the first day of spring, a person at the North Pole would see the sun skimming across the horizon, beginning six months of uninterrupted daylight. A person at the South Pole would see the sun skimming across the horizon, signaling the start of six months of darkness._[18]
Spring almost always arrives on March 20 or 21
Sometimes it arrives on the 19th. The reason the equinoxes and solstices don’t always come on the same day is that Earth doesn’t circle the sun in exactly 365 days._[13]
The fall and spring equinoxes are the only two times during the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west
On these two days each year, the tilt of Earth’s axis aligns so perfectly that the sun appears to rise exactly in the east and set exactly in the west._[18]
Human Behavior & Health

Spring is breakup season
According to a Facebook study, couples are most likely to break up in the spring and two weeks before Christmas. The lowest breakup time was Christmas Day and from August through October._[16]
If Pope Gregory XIII would not have established the Gregorian calendar, which most of the world now observes, in 1582, then every 128 years the vernal equinox would have come a full calendar day earlier, eventually putting Easter in midwinter._[13]

They are, however, less likely to develop allergies

Spring babies face slightly higher health risks
While springtime brings flowers and warmer weather, it may be the worst time for human babies to be born. Some studies have found slightly higher rates of certain mental health conditions among people born in spring, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and anorexia._[6]
Spring fever is real
The term “spring fever” refers to a both psychological and physiological symptoms associated with the arrival of spring, including restlessness, daydreaming, and increased sexual appetite. While the exact cause is unclear, scientists believe that increased light, more exercise, and more bare skin influence hormone levels._[5]
Suicide rates peak in the spring
Studies show that suicide rates peak during the late spring and not during the holidays, as is commonly believed._[11]
Spring is prime time for allergies
Every year, allergies constitute over 17 million outpatient office visits, mostly in the spring and fall._[1]
Nature & Animals

Spring migration is impressive
Birds return from their winter homes, and honeybees swarm to start new colonies. While some people prefer not to feed birds in spring and summer, during the spring migration, a feeder might be a useful source of food for traveling birds._[14]

Just don't forget to clean your bird feeders

The first spring flowers appear
These are typically lilacs, irises, lilies, tulips, daffodils, and dandelions._[14]

She turned to the sunlight /And shook her yellow head / And whispered to her neighbor / 'Winter is dead.'

- A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

Some animals change color or behavior in the spring
Arctic foxes, hares, and ptarmigans turn white in winter and revert to brown or gray for spring._[12]
Monarch butterflies travel huge distances
Millions fly 50–100 miles per day to reach warmer climates for winter and return in spring._[9]
Birds become more vocal
Spring is mating season, so expect more singing as males attract mates and warn rivals._[14]
History & Traditions

Spring festivals are ancient
The first day of spring marks the beginning of Nowruz (“The New Day”), which is the Persian New Year. The celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zoroastrianism. It is celebrated in Iran, the North Caucasus, Kurdish parts of Turkey and Northern Iraq, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and other scattered populations in Central Asia._[15]

Some Baltic and Slavic countries burn an effigy of winter as a way to welcome spring

Effigies of winter are burned in Poland
This centuries-old tradition bids farewell to winter and welcomes spring._[15]
Groundhog Day predicts spring
According to tradition, if a groundhog does not see his shadow after emerging from his burrow on Groundhog Day (February 2), spring will come early; if he sees his shadow, winter will last for 6 more weeks. The day has its roots in the Neolithic Celtic festival of Imbolc, which marks a seasonal turning point and also involved animal prognostication._[15]
Mayan pyramids align with the equinox
At Chichen Itza, Mexico, the Mayan celebrate the first day of spring with “The Return of the Sun Serpent.” On the evening on the spring equinox, the setting sun creates a triangular shadow on the El Castillo pyramid that looks like a descending snake, or the feather serpent god Kukulkan._[15]
Cherry blossoms signal spring in Japan
The blooming of Japan’s national flower is a seasonal marker celebrated nationwide._[15]

In the Eleusinian Mysteries, Persephone's return from the underworld each spring is a symbol of immortality, and she was frequently represented on sarcophagi

Persephone returns from the underworld
In Greek mythology, spring coincides with Persephone’s return from Hades, symbolizing fertility and rebirth._[15]
Science & Environment

Spring happens because of the Earth's tilt and orbit
The vernal equinox happens because Earth’s axis is tilted 23.4º relative to its orbit._[18]
Spring tides are unrelated to the season
A “spring tide” has nothing to do with the season of spring. Rather, it connotes a “springing forth.” Spring tides happen twice each lunar month all year long, regardless of the season._[14]
Climate change is shifting spring earlier
Studies in Colorado show spring now arrives on average three weeks earlier than in the 1970s._[13]
Fun & Cultural Facts
Holidays that occur in spring include Easter, Passover, April Fool’s Day, Earth Day, Arbor Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, and Holi (festival of colors in India)._[15]
While the origins April Fools’ Day are uncertain, some believe it started in 16th century France when the observation of New Year’s changed from April 1st to January 1st. Those who continued to celebrate on April 1st were called “April Fools.”_[3]
March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. In ancient Rome, this month signaled the beginning of warfare season._[7]
Spring is the most popular season for real estate transactions._[2]
Chinese New Year coincides with early spring in the Northern Hemisphere._[8]
Fascinating Oddities

A National Academy of Sciences study found that babies conceived in the spring are more likely to be premature. Scientists hypothesize that their mothers were nearing full term in January and February when seasonal flu cases spike—and pregnant women who contract the flu in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters have a slightly increased risk of premature labor._[10]
Multiple sclerosis relapses are more likely to occur during the spring and are least common in the fall._[6]
Studies show that there is regular seasonal variation in sperm quality. Specifically, sperm concentration was highest in the spring and lowest in the autumn._[4]
The early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising sun on the spring equinox._[15]

The Great Sphinx aligns with the spring equinox

The first day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere is the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere._[14]
Tornadoes are most common in the spring and least common in winter._[16]
Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox._[18]
Honeybees are more likely to swarm during the spring. They swarm as a way to start new colonies from successful ones. Surprisingly, swarming honeybees are very docile and the most friendly they will ever be all year._[17]
There is a growing movement to call the vernal (spring) equinox the March Equinox or Northward Equinox to avoid “Northern Hemisphere bias.”_[18]
While the spring equinox typically occurs on March 20 or 21, meteorological spring begins on March 1, a month when average temperatures begin to increase in many regions._[18]
The myth that it is possible to balance an egg on its end on the spring equinox is just that: a myth. Trying to balance an oval-shaped object on its end is no easier on the spring equinox than on any other day._[18]
The onset of menopause is significantly higher in winter than in spring or autumn, with a smaller peak in summer._[5]
In China, the coming of spring coincides with celebrations for the Chinese New Year. The holiday falls on the first day of the first lunar month, in January or February._[15]
In the Southern Hemisphere, springtime lasts from August until November._[18]
The word “season” is from the Latin sationem meaning “sowing” or “seed time.”_[14]
While the term “spring” is useful to describe one of the four conventional temperate seasons, in subtropical and tropical climates, other terms are used to describe varying seasonal changes, such as dry or wet and monsoonal or cyclonic._[15]
In U.S. popular culture, spring is often thought of as running from the day after President’s Day to just before before Memorial weekend._[15]