Meteorological spring represents March, April, and May, the months when weather transitions from cold to warm. Meteorological spring is also commonly used for seasonal statistics. Based on recent statistics, the temperatures appear to trend higher every year.

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At our house, the appearance of our resident groundhogs is a sign of Spring. Although Bella insisted that she saw one out of hibernation as early as February 10th, I spotted the first one of Mabel's pups on February 22 and then, the second pup on February 27.

Above they are together. Groundhogs are supposed to be asocial animals and live solitary existences. But these two (now 3 years old) have continued to live "close by" to each other since birth. During their entire first year, the entire litter was inseparable and stayed with their mom. That in itself, supposedly, is not the norm in groundhog behavior.

These two siblings still use the same tunnel system that they knew as infants. However, friction does occur when they both try to occupy the same space at the same time. The smaller one (in the shadows) got very upset when the larger one tried to dodge for cover in the wood pile while the littermate was already in the wood pile. The fleeing one was trying to go into the same hole that was already occupied. There were some angry growls between the two of them and a very brief (and harmless) tussle that sent the larger one running to hide under our deck instead.

I found this interesting since the "submissive" one stopped & paused about 3 feet from to check me out on the deck. She looked me in the eye. Although these groundhogs are totally wild, Mabel's pups have learned that I won't harm them. Therefore, they are not as fearful of me as they would be another human. An hour or so later, she came out from under the deck and went back to the wood pile. I didn't see his littermate again; so, I guess they didn't accidentally bump into each other a second time that day. So, all was fine.

I'm happy to see them both back. It really is a sign of Spring.

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Last Spring almost 3 weeks later: https://pbase.com/image/172441787
So, maybe the seasons really are getting warmer overall.