What are the starting and ending dates of seasons in the US?

I am of the understanding that in the US seasons (apart from obviously being opposite to what they are here in the southern hemisphere at any given moment) actually start at different dates.

The system in Australia is that each season starts on the first of every three months, so summer (or winter, if talking about the northern hemisphere) starts 1 December, autumn (or spring) 1 March, winter (or summer) 1 June and spring (or autumn) 1 September.

When does each season start in America? Also, does anyone know the system used in Europe, or at least England?