Several students have asked me recently when spring will arrive. The official first day of spring this year is the 20th of March, but there are plenty of other ways to measure it: the flowers you see in parks and gardens are just one of them. Often they can be the first signs of spring to emerge.
The first flowers to appear are the small and delicate snowdrops - and sometimes they really do grow up through the snow. These usually appear in January or February.