As we mark the start of British Summer Time, the days get longer and warmer, nature starts to shake off the cobwebs of winter. You can sense the excitement in the air as spring takes hold and the end of hibernation dawns. The awakening begins slowly, with the few early risers emerging first. Then, as temperatures keep increasing, more and more animals, insects and plants join in the annual celebration of new beginnings.

The first budding leaves and flowers are a clear sign of the change. The nodding, white snowdrops start poking through frosted soil as early as January. The hardy primrose can sometimes be spotted even earlier, in December. The bright yellow daffodils and lilac blue bluebells join a bit later, in March and April. The familiar shrubs of blackthorn burst out in gorgeous white blooms around the same time.

Spring is also announced by an increasing chorus of birdsong. The distinctive high-pitched melody of the great tit can already be heard in January. The morning song intensifies by mid-March as more birds seek to attract mates and claim territories. Listen out for skylarks, song thrushes, robins and blackbirds, as well as the migrant chiffchaffs and warblers.

For many species, spring is the end of a long period of reduced activity, and for some it means waking up from the very deep sleep of hibernation.

A new beginning

Most animals stop hibernating when days get longer, temperatures rise, and more food sources become available. They emerge with two main goals, to find water and food, and, to mate.

The brimstone butterfly is one of the first creatures to appear after winter. It can emerge from hibernation as early as January or February, if temperatures are mild and reach 13°C. While the majority of butterflies overwinter in the larval state, the brimstone is one of the few that hibernate as an adult. You can spot them in gardens and meadows looking for early flowers to feed from. The males are easy to identify, with their angular lemon-yellow wings, while the females can hide in plain sight with their pale green colour resembling the surrounding leaves. They feed on nectar and, as they prefer to drink from purple flowers, bluebells are a favourite of theirs.

While honeybees overwinter in their hives, huddled together for warmth, the bumblebee spends winter alone. Having mated and stored up on body fat with pollen and nectar, a queen will hibernate underground in soil. In spring, warm temperatures awaken her and when she emerges, she feeds on flowers, drinking water to gain energy. She will then begin a search for a suitable nest, which might be a hole in the ground or a bird box. She will create a nest in the form of a mould of pollen and wax where she will begin laying eggs and start her colony.

From late February to March, you can start to spot more frogs as they emerge after five months of slumber and leave their hibernation dwellings for breeding ponds. Ladybirds become a common site as the weather begins to warm up. Like honeybees, they also huddle in hoards over winter, in the cracks of tree bark or even window frames. Hedgehogs emerge in March and, having lost about a third of their body fat, they set out to find food. They try to eat as much as they can in preparation for the mating season which starts in May.

Bats may not be fully active until mid-April. They may show signs of limited activity earlier when they leave the roosts on warmer nights in search of food and water. After they emerge from slumber and get fully active, female bats will look for a warm stable place to have their young. Mothers stay together in maternity colonies and help each other by taking turns to look for food.

With longer and warmer days, spring is a great time for us to emerge as well. So, head out for a stroll in the beautiful Hertfordshire and Middlesex countryside and enjoy the emerging wildlife.