March is the third month of the year and a time when the seasons are changing from winter to spring in the Northern Hemisphere. As the weather warms and days start getting longer, March brings about a sense of renewal and fresh beginnings. Many celebrate the upcoming spring season and the promise of warmer days ahead. But March also has its share of variable weather as winter and spring converge during the month.
So what are the defining colors of March that capture this transitional time of year? While March may kick off spring on the calendar, it still holds onto some winter tones at least early in the month. At the same time, brighter spring hues start to emerge more toward the end of the month. Therefore, March is characterized by a unique mix of both cool winter tones and warm spring colors that reflect the back-and-forth between the two seasons that plays out over the course of the month.
Cool Winter Blue
One of the two signature colors of March is a cool, icy blue. This blue represents the lingering chill and unsettled winter weather that can still prevail in early March. While spring is right around the corner, cold temperatures, gray skies, rain, and even snow are not uncommon during the first half of the month across many areas.
This cool blue exemplifies the muted winter light before the sun climbs high enough in the sky to bring warmer temperatures. It captures those cloudy, raw March days when winter still has a firm foothold. Think of the cold blue of icy puddles, sleet, hail, or snow piles that may still be seen early in March before the full transition to spring. This somber blue embodies the fickle but often harsh winter weather patterns that March is known for.
In the Northern Hemisphere, March weather can certainly throw some curveballs before spring takes over more fully. Arctic cold fronts can bring frigid air and wintry mixes as late as early spring. So this cold blue represents March’s connection to the winter season that came before it and the winter weather that stubbornly lingers into the month.
But at the same time, this icy blue starts to fade later in March when sunny skies and milder air become more predominant. As winter’s grip gradually loosens, this cooler blue slowly gives way to warmer spring colors on the horizon.
Vibrant Green
The second defining color of March is a vibrant, verdant green. This lively green encapsulates the burgeoning signs of spring and new growth that start to emerge more noticeably over the course of the month. As days lengthen and temperatures climb, this fresher green reflects March’s growing connection to the spring season that follows it.
Despite winter making some last gasps early in the month, March is when nature truly starts to awaken from its slumber. The arrival of spring brings renewed energy and life to the landscape after the dormancy and bleakness of winter. Plants, trees, and flowers exhibit new shoots, buds, and sprouts as the soil warms. Grass greens up, trees start to leaf out, and the first spring blossoms like crocuses unfold.
Birdsong fills the air as migratory birds return and critters emerge from hibernation. The increasing daylight switches nature into renewal mode and kickstarts the growing season as chlorophyll returns to foliage. This verdant green captures that surge of new life and the lush greens of sprouting plants and grasses that characterize March.
This vibrant tone also represents the bright green hues found in two of March’s birthstones, aquamarine and bloodstone. It reflects the psychological associations many have of green with growth, freshness, health, and vitality.
So this lively green comes to symbolize March as the gateway to spring. While cool blue winter tones still hang on early in the month, this youthful green takes over by March’s end as evidence of spring’s arrival abounds.
The Interplay of Blue and Green
The cool blue and vibrant green colors of March interact and play against each other throughout the month. Early March tends to exhibit more of the icy blue end of the spectrum as winter maintains its presence. But as the month progresses, the verdant greens increase as signs of spring wax and winter wanes.
These two contrasting colors are complementary, creating visual interest and color tension. The lively green evokes a sense of energy and growth, while the cooler blue brings a calming balance. The blue-green color scheme also fits with March’s birthstone of aquamarine, a light blue-green stone.
By incorporating both the serene blue tones of lingering winter and the rejuvenating greens of burgeoning spring, these two primary colors offer a dynamic representation of March. They capture the essence of March as a transitional month between seasons.
| Early March | Late March |
|---|---|
| Cool Blue | Vibrant Green |
| Cold, icy tones | Warm, lively hues |
| Lingering winter weather | Emerging signs of spring |
| Subdued skies | Increasing sunshine |
| Dormant landscape | Renewed plant growth |
This color dichotomy exemplifies March’s famously variable weather and the push and pull between winter and spring that unfolds throughout the month. While the cool blues dominate early March, vibrant greens take precedence by the end of the month.
Cultural Connections
These signature March colors also resonate culturally. Cool blue and verdant green evoke important March holidays and events like St. Patrick’s Day and the start of spring. Let’s explore some of these cultural color connections:
St. Patrick’s Day – March 17
St. Patrick’s Day falls each year in mid-March. This Irish holiday celebrating Saint Patrick is linked to several shades of green, along with blue. Green pays homage to the Emerald Isle and Ireland’s lush green countryside. People don green attire and accessories to commemorate the cultural heritage.
Green foods and beverages like green river, shamrock shakes, and green beer further reinforce the color theme. St. Patrick’s iconic three-leaf clover, or shamrock, inspired the original green color connected to the holiday. So March’s pervasive green hues align with this green-themed event.
Spring Equinox – March 19-21
The spring or vernal equinox in late March signals the official start of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere. On this date, day and night are roughly equal in length. The word equinox comes from Latin, meaning “equal night.”
After the equinox, daylight hours begin exceeding nighttime as the sun’s presence and influence grow stronger. This equinox connection enhances March’s green affiliations, as spring’s commencement brings about fresh growth and renewing verdant hues.
The cooler blue in March also ties to the equinox date, which can still bring variable weather with winter undertones. The blue and green mix resonates with spring’s beginning.
Easter – March/April
Easter sometimes falls in March, other times in April, as it lands on the first Sunday after the full moon occurring on or just after the spring equinox. Regardless of the specific date, Easter’s motifs and symbols evoke March’s distinctive pairing of blue and green.
Easter eggs, a central emblem, often sport cool pastel or robin’s egg blue hues alongside verdant green tones. These parallel March’s intermixing blue and green seasonal colors. Easter also involves new spring plantings, aligning with March’s burgeoning greens.
Reflecting March’s Dual Nature
March’s two signature colors—a cooling winter blue paired with vibrant spring green—beautifully capture the month’s ambivalent weather and seasonal duality. Early blasts of blue-hued arctic air give way to increasing glimpses of green as spring gathers momentum.
These core March colors depict winter relinquishing its grip as spring takes control. They mirror humanity’s mixed emotions of both relief from winter’s gloom and optimism about spring’s promise. Blending blue’s calm stability with green’s youthful vibrancy reflects March’s role as a bridge from one season to the next.
So as we bid winter adieu and welcome in spring, March gives us two stunning colors—cool blue and fresh green—to colorfully convey this time of seasonal changeover and the start of renewal.
