A Sign Of Spring: "Leaf Out" Starting In Extreme Southern U.S.

Sugar maple leaves opening up for the spring on a rainy
day last May in St. Albans, Vermont.  In a sign of spring,
experts who watch spring blooms say leaf out is beginning
in extreme southern parts of Florida,
Texas and California. 

 If you're looking for signs of spring already, here's a good one. Spring leaf out has started in far southern Florida and California, and in the southern tip of Texas. 

According to the National Phenology Network, the leaf out is a few days to a week earlier than average in these locations. 

As always, there's a bit of bad news if you're into signs of spring. There was a freeze and a bit of frozen precipitation late last week in southern Texas will surely be a setback for this burgeoning spring. 

Phenology is the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially related to climate and its interaction with plant and animal life. 

I don't think any area of the country has bottomed out with the lowest temperatures of the season and started heading uphill toward spring. But the days are starting to get longer, so that's encouraging the the early leaves in these far southern locales. Plus, it's been warmer than normal lately in those places, too.

These hints if spring will start to spread north as we head into February as the southern United States begins to recover from the depths of winter. 

The National Phenology Network measures the onset of spring in any given locale by two measures. The first leaf out is when the hardiest plants begin to show signs of buds opening into leaves.

First bloom, which comes later, is when people first notice flowers on plants like lilacs and honeysuckle.  It's too early for first blooms just yet.