I was listening to the news last night and I came to the realization that spring in the south is quite different from spring in the north. Up north early spring can be anything from flooding in early and late snowfalls to crocuses peaking through. When I lived in upstate New York, spring was always my favorite season. Spring seemed to start with the celebration of Easter, with the daffodils blooming, the hyacinths scenting the air. New live is everywhere, from the robins in their nest, to the bunnies coming out of their lairs.
But last night on the news I heard signs of spring in a different manner, the signs of spring in the Deep South. The first thing that we had heard was at the riptides were extremely bad because of the changing directions of the winds changing from winter to spring. This might be bad for the swimmers, but the surfers sure love it.
The next thing we found out about was the man-of-war are all on the beach and their purple-blue but bodies can sting and so do those long tendrils. With care, you can still enjoy a day at the beach, but plan on staying out of the ocean.
Next, we are reminded about that the sharks are migrating; this is definitely a spring time item. Huge shivers (groups) of them can be found offshore. All within swimming and snorkeling distance of the fun loving tourist down for spring break.
And finally we heard news that with the weather starting to warm up that the alligators are getting frisky. This means the alligators are getting warmed up starting to move around and getting rid ready for meeting season. Kayaks and fisherman need to take care on our river-ways.
Yes, spring in the south sounds a bit more dangerous than spring in the North! Daffodils and tulips up north verses down here we’re talking sharks and alligators.
I guess I’m a southern girl at heart and I’ll take my sharks and alligators and man-of-war over cold flooding waters and the possibility of a late snowfall. But I will admit I miss the glorious color and scents of the spring.
Gossip From The Southern Garden 