All over America the fertile land bursts into life, showering the countryside with colorful flowers, verdant green fields, and cute new animal life. Depending where you are on the continent, “spring” may arrive in February all the way down to June. Seasons are more apparent in the northern part of the country where spring comes slowly and you can count the days by the burgeoning buds on trees and dripping eaves. In the southern part of the U.S., whole hillsides are decorated with wildflowers, and the sweeping swaths of blue, red, and yellow will make you glad you brought extra camera batteries. All over the country music and art festivals get into gear, and from desert camping parties outside of LA to dance fests in Miami, Americans burst out of their winter shells, ready to rock their homes’ natural geographic blessings, be they tulip fields, rose gardens, or pea patches.

• Near Seattle? Hit up the epic tulip gardens in Mount Vernon, just north of the city, which stretch out like rainbow ridges almost as far as the eye can see.
   
• Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles has more varieties of roses than you thought possible, all bursting forth brilliant color in late spring in the cool breeze of the nearby mountains.
   
• Rainy and messy? Pop into an espresso shop and chill for some good old-fashioned people watching with a peppermint latte or shaken iced tea.
   
• Many big cities have Japanese or Chinese gardens, where the full flowerage is complemented by stone pathways, arching bridges, tinkling waterfalls and tiny pagodas.
   
• Farmers’ markets come to life all over the country, stop by these small stands for spring peas, fiddleheads, dandelion greens and all sorts of meal magic.