24-02-2025
When does spring begin? Ohio flower giving stinky sign that warmer weather is almost here
The groundhogs have had their say on when spring will arrive (though Buckeye Chuck and Punxsutawney Phil disagree), now it's time for the skunks.
Skunk cabbages, that is.
According to a recent Facebook post from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, skunk cabbage — the state's first wildflower of spring — has been spotted in Southern Ohio.
So when will the warmer weather arrive? Here's what to know.
Skunk cabbage, our first spring wildflower, has arrived in southern Ohio! Tune in with Ohio State Parks Naturalist Jenny Richards as she talks about the stinky wildflower and its cool features. Spring is coming!
Posted by Ohio Department of Natural Resources on Sunday, February 16, 2025
Spring will officially arrive on March 20, 2025.
That's the date of the vernal equinox, when both hemispheres of the Earth receive the same amount of daylight, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. It marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, with the days getting longer, and the start of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, with the days getting shorter.
The equinox is a little more than three weeks away.
How many days until spring? See what the Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting in Ohio
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, we're set for a mild start to spring this year.
"The U.S. spring outlook predicts warmer-than-normal temperatures for most of the country, with a few exceptions: southern and central California, Desert Southwest, southern Florida, and western Ohio Valley, where it will be near to below normal," the publication wrote.
Ohio's temperatures will start in the normal range for the first weeks of spring, but should heat up after that, per the almanac.
Skunk cabbage "is the first native wildflower to bloom in spring, often when snow and ice are still present," according to ODNR's website.
They flower first, producing enough heat to melt any surrounding snow and ice. As the flowers fade, foul-smelling leaves emerge. By late spring and summer, large colonies of skunk cabbage are conspicuous because of the stench.
Skunk cabbages grow in the soggy soil of wooded wetlands, and are found throughout Ohio. They are more frequent in Northeast Ohio and scarcest along the Ohio River.
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Daylight saving time, when we set our clocks ahead an hour to extend the amount of sunlight later into the evening, is another sure sign of spring.
In 2025, it will begin at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 9, the Cincinnati Enquirer previously reported.
While some people just want winter to be over and spring to begin, others are looking forward to the heat of summer.
Summer officially begins on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.
The June solstice occurs at 10:42 p.m. on Friday, June 20, 2025, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. That's the moment in the Earth's orbit when the North Pole is at its maximum tilt (about 23.5 degrees) toward the sun, resulting in the most amount of daylight and shortest night of the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the solstice marks the start of winter, with the least amount of sunlight and the longest night of the year.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: When is spring 2025? A stinky sign of warmer weather in Ohio appears
