Tis' The Season

Ricki Dale Butler

November 5, 2005

Tis' The Season

Just exactly what is a year? Is it three hundred and sixty-five days, twelve months, or fifty-two weeks. No it's bounty of color changes and temperature variations. It is a time of growing, living, dying, working, and resting that affects every plant and animal on earth. The way that all cultures and societies live, work, and play are affected by the seasons. The different seasons are one of the main factors regulating everyone's various life styles. In most cultures there are four seasons each year, but some cultures will have as many as six. This narrative will discuss the seasons as they pertain to North America. It will illustrate how the variations throughout the year affect the daily lives of every living thing. This is perhaps trivial, yet it is an interesting bit of information that everyone should know. In North America there are four glorious and well defined seasons each year, each with its on temperament and identity. There is a big debut at the first of each year with winter, rolling on into spring, going right on into summer, taking us on to the fall, each with something different and exciting in store for us.

Each year starts out in the cold confines of winter; however this is not as dreary as it sounds. With all of the long cold nights, long rainy days, and endless snow and ice it might seem like a dark and wearisome time, but it is a time of much needed rest. It is a time when many living and growing things go into a dormant stage. While some plants and animals have adapted to the cold, giving us a variety of colors and winter activity, most slow down and rest for the upcoming spring. Winter officially begins around December 22nd, with the winter solstice. This will be the shortest day of the year, with temperatures at first getting colder then slowly warming. Daylight hours will grow longer as the season progresses. The solstice is the moment when the earth is in that point in its orbit at which the hemisphere is most tilted away from the sun. This causes the sun to appear at its farthest below the celestial equator. Solstice is a Latin term meaning "the sun stands still". This comes from the fact that its noontime elevation does not seem to change from day to day. This will last about three months through January, February, and most of March.

Around March 21st, the vernal equinox will mark the beginning of spring. This is perhaps the most lovely and lively time of the year. With the coming of spring there is a burst of color, life, and action. Beauty and bounty are all around. People, animals, and plants all get in on the action. People begin planting crops; animals begin to roam, forage, and hunt much more than in the last few months. Trees start to bud, and many flowering plants start to bloom. The vernal equinox, sometimes called the spring or March equinox is the point at which the sun crosses the celestial equator northward. It has been called "the first point of Aries"; however due to the procession of the equinoxes this point is no longer in the constellation Aries, but has moved to Pisces. This exhilarating time of year will run about three months, lasting through April, May, and a large part of June.

About June 22nd the summer solstice will take place, bringing with it longer and warmer days. Usually, it will tend to be much dryer this time of year. With the sun lingering in the sky much longer, and with the warmer temperatures there is a long list of activities for people and animals to partake in. It is celebrated as a time of fun and play; however many crops and plants will suffer due