Spring, Sprang, Sprung

Introducing BBC's Springwatch, in which readers all across the British Isles report sightings of the creatures and events that normally herald the arrival of spring -- everything from the first frog-spawn to the blossoming of hawthorn and the return of migrating swallows -- which are then mapped out on the website. The so-called phenological findings suggest that spring has sprung a full 3 weeks earlier than average in England this year, causing the Woodland Trust to declare spring 'the new summer.' Levity aside, there is some concern that Europe may be headed for a repeat of the sweltering conditions that scorched the continent last year and in 2003.