Known as the season of hope and renewal, spring feels like a breath of fresh air. The days are lighter and warmer, the trees are budding, and you might have even noticed some spring flowers sprouting up, such as daffodils, tulips, crocuses, and pansies. This is the perfect time of year to take long walks outside and appreciate the beauty and comforting consistency of nature. To appreciate this season even more, check out our list of spring trivia for seniors below. You might also consider sprinkling these bits of knowledge into your conversations to spark some delightful discussion.
Spring Trivia for Seniors
According to legend, if a groundhog does not see its shadow upon emerging from its hole on Groundhog Day, spring will arrive early.
It’s worth noting, however, that studies have found no correlation between a groundhog seeing its shadow and the arrival of spring weather. Nevertheless, it’s a fun tradition and a great movie!
The first day of spring is known as the spring equinox or vernal equinox.
The word vernal means “spring” and the word equinox means “equal night” in Latin. On this day, the length of the day and night is equal in all parts of the world. After that, in the Northern Hemisphere, we enjoy more sunlight – with earlier dawns and later sunsets. There is also an autumnal equinox, which heralds the arrival of autumn.
Centuries ago, spring was referred to as lent.
Lent comes from the Old English word lengten, which means “to make longer or greater in length.” In the 1300s, the term was replaced by springing time, referencing the fact that dormant plants begin to “spring” from the earth in March each year. In the centuries that followed, the season went through a few more name changes. For a while it was known as springtime, a term we still use today, but eventually that got shortened to the more common spring.
April isn’t actually the wettest month in most of the United States. That honor belongs to June.
If you’re actually measuring the amount of rain, June is the wettest month in most areas. However, there is a reason that people like to repeat the saying “April showers bring May flowers” – and it’s not just the abundance of blooming flowers in May. It’s because it does rain more often in April. The rainfalls are just shorter and lighter than in June. In addition, did you know that severe thunderstorms are more common in spring? This is due to the warm, moist air and lots of moving air currents.
Birds and butterflies migrate based on spring weather.
When some people think of the first signs of spring, they immediately picture geese migrating north and the return of beautiful butterflies. But did you know that the weather actually impacts their migration schedule? As the climate has changed over the past 20 years, scientists have noticed that birds are migrating earlier than they did in years past.
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Whether you’re hoping to spice up a conversation or play an easy guessing game with friends, we hope this spring trivia for seniors comes in handy. Enjoy this sunny season, and don’t forget to stop and smell the hyacinths!
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