Spring has sprung early, according to the annual Status of Spring report from the USA National Phenology Network.
Phenology is the study of seasonal change and the network tracks when leaves sprout as heat accumulates across the nation.
According to the network’s 2023 report, spring leaves sprouted 20 days earlier than usual in Appalachia.
Appalachia is not alone in its early spring as parts of the southeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic are seeing either the earliest spring on record or a spring that only occurs once every 40 years.
Without a harsh enough winter, plants adapt and respond as they have for millennia. Spring leaf out continues to spread north, arriving several days to weeks earlier than average in much of the nation.
At the beginning of each calendar year, nature responds to gradual heat accumulation in the earth’s atmosphere. When the daily average is above freezing, plants and animals act accordingly, preparing to grow.
While a mild winter is enjoyable to some, without low temperatures plants sprout earlier, disrupting gardeners’ and farmers’ crops.