Signs of Spring # 1 - Skunk

Here in the north we're pretty familiar with traditional signs of spring: seeing robins again, crocus starting to poke up about an inch, etc. This year I thought I'd log some signs of spring that actually precede those listed. Maybe more accurately, "harbingers of spring".

You may not think of skunks when you think spring, but skunks are among the first mammals to come out of hibernation. You don't usually see them, you smell them. It will be a week or so after Valentine's Day, around bed time, when that distinctive skunk smell starts creeping into your house. Some local skunk will be out there trying to wake up, looking for food or a mate, but meeting a neighbor's cat instead. Sometimes you'll smell a skunk on your way to work or school in the morning - most often this is skunk road kill.

So hold your nose and groan if you must, but when you smell a skunk in February, it's a sure sign that winter is winding down.