Let Spring Rejuvenate You!

BENEFITS OF SPRING

With Spring comes changes along with many gifts: our surroundings become a paradise, nature promotes a healthier lifestyle, sunshine is plentiful and benefits our health, butterflies emerge from their chrysalises, birds become alive and are singing everywhere.

Let’s explore a little more in detail how the Spring Season and enjoying nature can enhance our everyday life.

Our surroundings become a paradise
Spring is a time to rejoice! Leaves glimmer, flowers bloom, bees buzz, birds chirp, and butterflies are born. The days lengthen, the skies are clear, the air is fresh, and temperatures become warmer, all of which create an extra enjoyable atmosphere for us to spend more time outdoors. Spring increases our energy and is associated with love, hope, youth, and growth. It makes our minds become more creative and adventurous. It’s the perfect time for you to share nature walks and hiking adventures with your family and friends.

Nature promotes a healthier lifestyle
There are also many health benefits associated with Spring. When Spring arrives, it feels like we are coming out of hibernation from the winter months. Spring is rejuvenating and brings feelings of joy, hope, and optimism. Sunshine is abundant and has many benefits for our bodies. It improves our sleep, reduces stress, maintains strong bones, strengthens our immune system, and improves our overall wellness. Over and above having lots of sunshine, during this season the amount of oxygen available to humans is exceptionally high, partially due to the increased release of oxygen by plants, making it an excellent time to become more physically active. Outdoor exercise lowers blood pressure and heart rate. It’s also a wonderful way to release stress, boost your mood, and improve health in general.

Butterflies emerge as a symbol of transformation
Spring is the time when wildlife reappears and flowers bloom. The most common flowers that bloom during this time are roses, tulips, daisies, and lilies, which happen to be some of my favorite ones. During this special season, we can also enjoy the butterflies as they come out of their cacoon and playfully hop from flower to flower. Butterflies represent spiritual rebirth, transformation, change, hope, and life. Even though some butterflies have a short life span, on average two to six weeks, the Monarch butterfly can often live for several months since they migrate to warmer climates.
Despite the Monarch being considered the king of butterflies, it hovers close to extinction in large part due to the disappearance of milkweed. In the last two decades, its numbers have dropped 90%. Monarchs lay their eggs in milkweed which is where the caterpillars first hatch and feed. It’s estimated that milkweed plants have declined by 80% due to the widespread spraying of weedkillers. I invite you to contribute to the survival of the Monarchs by creating your own Monarch Waystation. If you decide to do so, I would love to hear about your butterfly journey.

Birds are born and become a reminder of renewal
We cannot talk about Spring without talking about birds. This is the start of their breeding season. It’s when birds are most active and vocal. They sing to communicate, indicate danger, establish territory, and attract a mate. You can tell a bird is getting ready to build a nest when you notice them tearing up mouthfuls of grass, plucking their own feathers, and pulling threads out of outdoor rugs! A couple of weeks after laying their eggs the baby birds peck through the shell.
While you may notice some young birds in the environment you may also see birds migrating during the Spring, among the most common are the swallows. They have been migrating faithfully to San Juan Capistrano, from Goya, Argentina for centuries. The “Return of the Swallows” to San Juan Capistrano is a historic celebration that started in the 1920s and is carried out every Spring, on March 19th. It is a wonderful celebration to experience!

I hope that I’ve inspired you to go out in nature and enjoy the Spring Season in all its glory!