Spring starts on Thursday, but it starts quite early. Unless you're a night owl or a very early riser, chances are you'll be asleep when the new season creeps in.

Astronomically speaking, winter vanishes and spring blooms at 12:48 a.m., March 20, in North Dakota (and the rest of the central time zone).

Which is fine for astronomers and people with too much time on their hands and access to too much information via the Internet.

People like me.

But, in reality, when we wake up March 20, we'll still have snow on the cold, hard ground, temperatures will still be on the cool side and there'll be no sign of colorful flowers or green lawns.

Astronomical measurements notwithstanding, Mother Nature really has the final say on when spring arrives.

And, judging by many of the snow piles still towering like small mountains in the corners of various parking lots and yards, spring still has a few weeks to go before it actually feels like spring.

Spring is one of the four seasons we experience on Earth due to the planet's position and tilt at various points in its orbit around the sun.

Two seasons have what are referred to as equinoxes: Spring and fall. The other two are called solstices: Summer and winter.

What's the difference between "equinox" and "solstice," you might ask?

At the equinox, night and day are of equal length (12 hours each). At the solstice, the day is either the longest or shortest time of the year.

A popular urban myth is that on the dates of the equinoxes, you can stand a raw egg on end.

In reality, with a little patience, you can stand a raw egg on end on any day of the year.

Is it true the swallows return to Capistrano at the start of spring every year?

Yes, more or less. Since 1776, the cliff swallows tend to return on or around March 19 at the San Juan Capistrano mission in Puerto Rico. Bells then ring and people celebrate the start of spring.

Then there are the buzzards of Hinckley, Ohio. Every year since 1957, the buzzards (turkey vultures) return to the Hinckley Reservation at the Cleveland Metroparks on or around March 15.

What about North Dakota? Surely something must return annually to Bismarck or elsewhere around the start of spring? Right now, it seems to be a rash of colds, which doesn't lend itself to merriment and celebration. Do the prairie dogs come out in spring? How about mosquitoes?

Spring, according to tradition, may be a good time to fall in love, but it's not too popular a season in which to get married. Late summer and early fall are at the top.

According to the National Association of Wedding Ministers, June is the most popular month for weddings, followed by August, September, October and May.

Speaking of love, it seems everything you need to know about understanding love can be found online. One site boldly proclaims it can answer "How Love Works." Another offers an investigation into the science of love. Among the findings: The brain characteristics of someone in love are similar to someone with mental illness; we're attracted to someone because we like their genes; we love people who smell most like our parents.

Anyway, for more information on these and other aspects of spring mentioned today, try the links below:

Vernal Equinox

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/VernalEquinox.html

The Seasons

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0002064.html

Rite Of Spring

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/riteofspring1.html

Stand An Egg On End?

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_089.html

Bad Astronomy: Eggs

http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/egg_spin.html#badegg

Infernal Egguinox

http://www.snopes.com/science/equinox.asp

Swallows Of Capistrano

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/swallows1.html

Buzzards Of Hinckley

http://cleveland.about.com/od/clevelandareaparks/p/buzzards.htm

Wedding Statistics

http://www.aweddingministers.com/wedding/statistics.htm

How Love Works

http://people.howstuffworks.com/love.htm

The Science Of Love

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/love/

(Keith Darnay is the webmaster and designer for bismarcktribune.com. His Web site, featuring this column going back to 1995, is at www.darnay.com.iec.)