Our mother Earth rotates on her axis 365 times a year. Circling the Sun, her majestic beauty is seen in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Within this circle of life comes the changing of the seasons, two of which are spring and autumn.
Signaling a new beginning, spring offers new hope and new life begins. Autumn on the other hand signifies a time in which many things see an imminent death. This paper will explore the exquisite beauty both spring and autumn share, giving you a glimpse of their unique characteristics that are necessary to keep the circle of life going strong as it has for billions of years.Perhaps the first notice of spring can be seen in the climate’s temperature rising. Signaling what is known by many as the “spring thaw”, winter’s blanket of snow begins melting as the temperature changes.
Along with the rise in temperature the first signs of new life are visible in the budding of the trees and flowers beginning to bloom. Hibernating animals awaken from their winter slumber and start foraging for food and searching for mates. Along with the rise in temperatures, our daylight hours increase and farmers use this extra time to cultivate the land and prepare for the planting of the crops.This is the time of year when the sky opens up with showers and love can be seen blooming all around us. With the showers of spring comes the awakening of our sense of smell.
Flowers and trees come alive with colors and the scents are quite spectacular to most. With this awakening, nature lovers begin their treks and revel in the sights before them. Not only does the Earth seem to come alive with pastel colors of pinks, yellows and blues to name a few, but the smells come alive as well.Fragrant flowers offer fresh new scents to be explored, while the soil itself gives off a wonderful aroma.
Who would fathom the thought of dirt actually smelling good but in the spring it seems to have an aroma like no other time of year. Perhaps it is the smell of new hope, as the circle of life continues marching on as it has for billions of years. Marching past summer we venture into autumn, the time known as death knocking at the door. Autumn brings cooler temperatures and the daylight hours become shorter.With the chill in the air, one can witness an amazing amount of native birds migrating south for the approaching winter months. Although autumn offers an array of beautiful colors such as yellows, oranges and browns, it also intensifies the need to prepare for the harsh weather coming.
Death is found with the first frost, with most trees losing their leaves and the flowers are beginning dying out. Farmer’s begin harvesting the crops that are left to harvest and plow the soil once again preparing for the wrath of winter as the temperatures continue to decline.With the increasing decline of temperatures, animals begin their search for a place to hibernate and prepare for the cruel changes as winter quickly approaches. Fewer daylight hours and the colder temperatures have also caused most people to hibernate indoors, snuggling close with loved ones by a cozy fire. Autumn is perhaps known as a time for depression.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that so much of the landscape around us is dead or dying and the time spent outdoors is shortened due to the inclement weather of autumn.There is a new scent in the air as the temperatures continue their decline. It is the scent of the dead and decaying leaves blanketing the ground preparing the soil for new growth as the circle of life continues. In comparing these two seasons we can see that spring signifies life or re-birth and autumn signifies death or dying.
Both seasons offer an array of beautiful color schemes pleasing to the eyes. While spring offers the pastel colors associated with happiness, autumn brings us the warmer hues associated with depression.Spring is perhaps better known for lifting our spirits and giving hope to those having been pent-up for a long winter. With the longer daylight hours of spring comes the preparation of gardens and exploring the great outdoors again. The skies are alive again with the migratory birds returning, bringing with them the sounds of summer just within their grasp.
In sum, this is what I have learned. Autumn signifies death in many ways. Beauty can still be found within this ever-changing season however.The leaves begin changing into their beautiful shades of yellows, oranges and reds, and give a spectacular show to many regions of the world. This time period however is short lived and with the decline in the temperatures of autumn comes the death and decay of the once beautiful leaves, now lying on the forest floors.
With autumn comes the shorter daylight hours and farmer’s work hastily to harvest the last crops of the season. With autumn, once abundant fields are now barren and plowed under preparing for winter’s blanket of snow.Animals once again search for hibernation spots and people begin their own form of hibernation, staying close indoors now that the climate is changing. Although nature lovers still enjoy their time outdoors they often make shorter journeys.
Depression tends to kick in during autumn due to the signs of death around us. The land takes on a whole new look and often times it is dark when we leave for work and then again dark when we start our drive home in the evenings.Finally, in this paper we have learned that although spring and autumn share exquisite beauty, they are unique within their very own ways. They share similarities and differences that are viewed differently by each person.
While some of us prefer the spring, others may prefer the autumn. We each hold different opinions on spring and autumn; it is within our human nature to do so. It is within these differences that the circle of life continues on, just as our mother Earth continues her rotation around the Sun as she has done for billions of years.
