Six weeks ago Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, signalling the end of winter. For most of us here in the Valley we barely batted an eye. That’s because we've been experiencing one of the warmest winters on record here in Arizona and have been treated to Spring like temperatures since what seems like Christmas. While our friends back east fight the extended winter and brutal cold we've been sitting back enjoying sunshine, baseball and beautiful blooming trees and plants around the Valley.
In the spirit of the official start of Spring (vernal equinox) we've compiled a quick list of interesting vernal equinox facts.
- The spring equinox is historically recognized on March 19th, 20th or 21st and indicates the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Because the Earth’s axis is tilted towards the sun during the spring (vernal equinox) we receive longer daylight hours which in turn gives us warmer weather.
- There are two equinox’s each year: March and September.
- The opposite of an equinox is a solstice - which occurs during the winter and summer when the Sun appears at its lowest or highest point in the sky.
- Despite the long standing myth that you can balance an egg on its end today there is no chance the Earth’s axis is helping stabilize the egg.
If you haven’t had the chance to check out the ‘official’ start of Spring that’s currently exploding in all 7 of our nursery locations than you should make it a point to get out this weekend. Everything is exploding with spring growth and with the perfect temps hanging around for the next few months, it is a great time to plant and fertilize. Get those trees and plants planted now before this beautiful weather leaves us and the hot summer days settle in.
See you at the Moon!