I watched as three rabbits congregated in my front yard and nibbled on some of the first greens they have seen in some time. All of a sudden they began to leap over each other in a spirited manner that I recognized as a bunny courtship ritual and a sure sign of spring.

This weekend kicks off Daylight-saving time and Sunday evening will have one more hour of daylight to enjoy the outdoors.

Some people confuse the start of Daylight-saving time with the start of spring, but it is not the officially recognized symbolic change of the seasons. The vernal equinox occurs at 7:44 a.m. March 20, when the sun will cross directly over the Earth's equator. I plan to make a big hoopla of that moment because I am officially tired of the winter weather!

I was prowling the fishing catalogs at breakfast the other morning in an effort to stay up with the latest technology and sure-bet offerings for angler success.

I wondered out loud about all types of the fishing line offered and the differences between visibility, elasticity, strength and abrasion resistance.

What ever happened to 8-pound test that came in a spool 1,000 yards long and that every kid in the neighborhood would share to re-spool their Zebco or Mitchell reels for the spring fishing rituals? We didn't wait for the opening day of trout season with a fancy vest and a $1,000 outfit.

If the spring rains came and forced worms to the top of the ground, we were ready for fishing those unnamed tributaries and farm ponds for anything that a kid could catch — that was really kickin' it old skool!

Spring flowers are a big hit for everyone suffering the winter blues. The domestic flowers, such as daffodils, crocuses and primroses, are favorites of gardeners everywhere.

I know that we also like to search the woodlands for the first coltsfoot, spring beauties and wild violets. The wild violets especially like transition areas and are absolutely fabulous when they profusely bloom in a colony spread over an area.

The National Audubon Society has a book, "Field Guide to Wildflowers" that is an absolute must for anyone wanting a nature field trip as a spring ritual.

The trout streams will be getting their annual stocking of brook, rainbow and brown trout this month. The trout season opening day is April 17, just a little more than a month away. The Fish and Boat Commission always is looking for stocking help and the schedule of meeting places and streams to be stocked is posted online at www.fish.state.pa.us.

The Game Commission has released its hunter safety courses for 2009 and welcomes all new hunters ages 11 and older to participate in the classes to attain a safety certificate card that is required to legally hunt in Pennsylvania.

I'll be attending the annual Northern Butler County hunter education banquet April 4 at the Butler City Hunting and Fishing Club in East Butler. Each year the instructors and WCO Chip Brunst put on some great speakers.

This year's program will be on the Pennsylvania deer management program that has been a hot issue across the state. If you are interested in being involved in Hunter-Trapper-Education this is a good group to contact, as the PGC is currently seeking new instructors.

You don't have to be an expert in all areas, but you must be an effective communicator with young people and a team player to pull off such an important program.