Signs of Spring: 2012

Cherry blossoms of the Japanese Yoshino variety bloom along the Tidal Basin, March 19, 2012, in Washington, DC, with the Jefferson Memorial to the rear. This season celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the gift of the cherry trees from Japan to Washington, DC. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

A Bananaquit hangs upside down to peck at a flower in the Costa Rica section of the Glass House at the Cleveland Botanical Garden in Cleveland. (Amy Sancetta/Associated Press)

A worker prunes blossoming trees on El Monte Way west of Dinuba, CA, March 1, 2012. (Mark Crosse/The Fresno Bee)

A Chinese woman performs morning exercises with fans at the Ditan park in Beijing, China. (Andy Wong/Associated Press)

A jogger on the Santa Ana River Trail takes advantage of a beautiful day with a view of the San Gabriel Mountains (still covered with snow) from the Lincoln Avenue bridge over the Santa Ana River in Anaheim, Calif. (Bruce Chambers/The Orange County Register)

Trees are blossoming near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, as temperatures warm up, March 16, 2012. (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)

Tourists have their picture taken at a sculpture garden of painted trees, March 13, 2012, in Chicago. Temperatures inched closer to March record highs after a mild winter. (Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press) 

A lone snowman stands on the beach at Pacific City in front of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, OR. (Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian)

Anglais in the southeastern city of Nice, French Riviera, March 11, 2012. (Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images)

Elliott Buckleair, 3, watches the Williams Tower Waterwall at Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park, March 13, 2012, in Houston. (Johnny Hanson/The Houston Chronicle)

A flower blossoms in front of the Reichstag, the seat of Germany's lower house of parliament, on a sunny spring day in Berlin, March 16, 2012. (Thomas PeterReuters)

 People relax in the warm afternoon weather at High Line park, March 13, 2012 in New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

 Visitors relax and play on rocks in Central Park during Spring-like weather, Feb. 22, 2012, in New York. (Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)

 An employee walks amid an installation of clay flowers by London-based Chilean artist Fernando Casasempere entitled 'Out of Sync' at Somerset House in central London, March 15, 2012. The installation that acknowledges the end of winter and beginning of spring consists of 10,000 clay blooms individually handcrafted by Casasempere so that each flower is unique. (Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images)

Crocuses are covered with raindrops, Feb. 28, 2012 in Dresden, eastern Germany. The first signs of spring bloom across the country. (Matthias Hiekel/AFP/Getty Images)

Bees converge on a blossom in an orchard along a highway near Selma, CA, March 1, 2012. With spring on the way, the orchards in Fresno County are in full bloom with pink and white blossoms in preparation for bearing fruit such as peaches, cherries and plums and even nuts like almonds. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee

 The Washington Monument in Washington, DC, March 19, 2012 surrounded by Cherry blossoms in full bloom due to the early warm weather along the East coast of the US. The blossoms are expected to reach their peak on Tuesday, the first official day of Spring. (Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images)

 Cherry blossoms in full bloom surround the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, March 19, 2012. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the gift from Japan to the United States that started with a planting ceremony between then U.S. First lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador. (Larry Downing/Reuters)

 Ed Waido feeds handfuls of potato chip leftovers to gulls at McCook Beach in East Lyme, Conn., March 9, 2012. (Sean D. Elliot /The Day)

Lake Strongheart performs Tai ji after sunrise, March 9, 2012, in Portland, Ore. (Rick Bowmer/Associated Press)

With a purple sea of freshly-blooming crocus, a lone bee hovers above his early spring choices in Walla Walla, Wash., March 7, 2012. Warmer than average temperatures brought both the beauty of flowers and the beast of bugs out in full force. (Jeff Horner/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

After unsuccessful attempts to feed birds, Lenny Payne feeds his daughter Maggie, 8, some of the leftover crackers. People got outdoors to enjoy the warm weather and the beautiful sunset at an area known as White Shell off of Heckscher Drive, March 7, 2012 in Jacksonville, Fla.(Kelly Jordan/The Florida Times-Union