Scenes from an early spring

March 29, 2012

MPR News explores some of the ways our unusual early spring is affecting life around Minnesota.

Minnesota in Photos: Spring blossomed early
Signs of spring can be seen several weeks earlier than normal in Minnesota. We visited Battle Creek Regional Park in Maplewood and the Peace Garden in Minneapolis to get a closer look.March 30, 2012
In early spring, one family's last walk
Every sign of winter's end carries significance for Terry Strack and his wife, Cynthia Smith-Strack, because they know it will likely be their last spring together.March 30, 2012
Docks going in a month earlier than usual
One businessman hopes whitecaps on the lakes in March are a harbinger of a rebound in his business.March 30, 2012
Warm weather brings some birds back
In the fall, Duluth is famous among birdwatchers for the scores of hawks that fly past. But it's also a birding haven in the spring, when both raptors and songbirds migrate north.March 30, 2012
Farmers get an early start, but not too early
Mid-March is generally a time when snow still covers this high ground along the Buffalo Ridge in southwestern Minnesota. But this year, all the past rules about spring weather seem to have disappeared.March 30, 2012
Maple syrup producers experience worst year in memory
There are some wonderful things about our early spring. But it hasn't been good for everybody -- especially not Minnesota's maple syrup producers.March 30, 2012
What does the early spring mean around Minnesota?
We asked sources in our Public Insight Network to tell us what changes they've noticed due to this year's early Minnesota spring. From Crookston to Winona, they tell us the early spring has meant optimism, flexibility and a certain amount of unease.March 30, 2012