One year, though, they met at the edge of a meadow—pink petals still clinging to the branches, heat already shimmering off the grass. Spring said, “You’re early.” Summer shrugged, golden and guilty. “Couldn’t wait. The strawberries were dreaming of me.”

The old folks say that winter, before it trudges off to its icy den, always leaves a key behind—a tiny, cold key that fits no lock you’ve ever seen. Spring finds it first. She tucks it into the hollow of an oak, and overnight, the bark remembers how to soften. That’s her way: slow, green, full of whispers.

Begins in December (Astronomical: Dec 21/22; Meteorological: Dec 1). Why the Dates Change Slightly

To be precise, here are the exact dates for spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere: