this spring

New River Gorge Bridge, West Virginia

Today, I spent a bit of time here at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. Really old river; older than the Appalachian Mountains through which it flows, cutting its path while the mountains rose then eroded away.

According to a story on NPR today, spring is showing up eight hours earlier each year. One day every three years. Since 1981, when this measuring started, spring is now nine days earlier. This is measured by the amount and kind of vegetation appearing at the same time each year. Or, another way: the same vegetation is at a particular stage earlier and earlier each year. All sorts of critters could get very confused.