Spring is the most vibrant season of the year.

From the gorgeous flowers in bloom to the sweet songs of birds and the warm feeling of sunlight, there's something magical about this season.

And nature invites you to soak it all in.

1. Spring was originally called lent.
Lent was the old name for the spring season. This name comes from the old English word, lencten, referring to the longer days in this season.
It wasn't until the 1300s that it was replaced with "springing time," referring to the emergence of plants. As time passed, this was ultimately shortened to the name that we know today.

2. Spring starts at different times in the northern and southern hemispheres.

3. The fall and spring equinoxes are the only two times during the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west.

4. The first day of spring has equal hours of daylight and darkness.
The spring equinox (also known as the vernal equinox) is the first day of spring. It's a special day because day and night are almost equally divided into 12 hours.

5. Spring is the rainiest time of the year.

6. The start of the spring season could make you feel sick.
Spring fever is a recognized but vaguely termed condition where people feel unwell at the beginning of spring.

7. Every year, allergies constitute over 17 million outpatient office visits, mostly in the spring and fall.

8. More babies are born during spring.
It's not just human babies that are being born this season. Many animals, including cattle and sheep, experience increased birth rates during spring.

9. Hibernating animals emerge in spring.
When spring brings warmer temperatures, these animals awake from deep sleep and hungrily go out in search of food.

10. Honeybees are more likely to swarm during the spring.
They swarm as a way to start new colonies from successful ones.
Surprisingly, swarming honeybees are very docile and the most friendly they will ever be all year.

11. One of the highlights of spring is that daylight gets longer. We get a few extra minutes of daylight each day in spring.
However, the rate of daylight increases eventually diminishes around the summer solstice. By June, things will reverse, and we will start losing daylight hours instead.

12. Spring cleaning is the practice of deep cleaning your home at the start of spring.
The earliest use of the term "spring clean" can be traced back to the 1840s, and it wasn't until 1894 that it was first used as a verb in the London Daily News publication.

13. Your sense of smell can improve during spring.
Did you know that your nose needs humidity to pick up smells?
It's the moisture in the air which helps deliver odor particles to your nostrils. Our noses then process this information and use it to recognize smells.
Therefore, it makes sense that your sense of smell is heightened during the spring season; spring brings more rain, and that brings more humidity.

14. Legend says Groundhogs can predict an early spring season.
Punxsutawney Phil, a famous groundhog in Pennsylvania, is used to predict if spring will arrive earlier or later each year.

15. Children grow faster in spring.
Scientists speculate it could be because children get more sunlight. This is believed to help regulate their hormones and stimulate bone development.

16. Visitors crowd Mexico's Chichén Itzá in spring.
On the spring equinox, crowds gather to watch the shadow of Kukulkán, the Mayan serpent god, appear as if by magic on the temple stairs, an event that happens just once a year.

17. The equinox reveals one of the secrets of Egypt's iconic Sphinx.
During sunset on the spring equinox, the Sun descends behind the shoulders of the Sphinx, which lines up with the Pyramid of Giza that looms behind it in the distance.
Their alignment causes their silhouettes to fuse, framing the Sphinx perfectly.
Another fun archeological observation is that the remaining 24 pillars in the Sphinx Temple also align with the vernal equinox.

18. Unfortunately, winters are getting warmer, and spring is starting earlier than usual, thanks to rising global temperatures.
This shift isn't great for animals as it affects their migration and hibernation patterns, as well as their ability to find food.

Sources
National Geographic / New York Post / AFIA / Fox61 / Scientific American / Wikipedia / Oxford English Dictionary / Reuters / FHCI Golden Falcon Newspaper / Dribbble / Discover Magazine / Palace Resorts / National Weather Service / EarthSky / Business Insider / The Guardian / Weather and Radar / The Fact Site