Tendrils of fresh kudzu reach toward the sky in a patch of land along Washington Street, west of Drummond Street, a sign that spring is in full swing. Kudzu, brought from Japan to the United States in 1876 as a form of erosion control, grows from mid-spring through December. The city-maintained rose garden is being filled with straw to help the flowers retain moisture during the hot, dry summer months. And, the purple martin, a sign of the season, was first spotted in Warren County this year in late February. The insect-eating birds spend their winters in South America and move north to nest and raise their young as seasons change. (Katie Carter*The Vicksburg Post)