Photos: Signs of spring – in February!

by Marlene Berlin

The calendar says it’s mid-February. The weather says it’s spring. And nature is responding by presenting its buds and blooms.

Some of these early bloomers are prized because they give gardens a shot as color in February, and in some cases as early as January, as Marjorie Rachlin explained this time last year.

And with forecasters predicting temperatures in the mid-70s (!) this week, it may seem like we’ve seen the last of winter. But The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang says March tricked us last year, and might bring a surprise for people and plant life this year, too.