WASHINGTON -- Looking for something more colorful to do with your money?

You could try looking at it in the spring.

That's when the government is putting redesigned $10 bills into your local ATM machine.

And your wallet will be holding more green and red and yellow and orange.

March 2 is the date the more colorful bills will be put into use.

The new $10 bill will still feature Alexander Hamilton, the nation's first treasury secretary, on one side, and the Treasury building on the other.

Joining them will be an image of the Statue of Liberty's torch and the phrase "We the People" in red along with small yellow 10s and a subtle orange background.

All the changes are designed to thwart counterfeiters.

"As always, you don't have to trade in your old $10 notes for new ones. Both new notes and old notes maintain their full face value," said Michael Lambert, a spokesman for the Federal Reserve Board. "The updated security features in this redesigned $10 note ensure that it will continue to remain a source of value, trust and confidence around the world."

The new $10 note -- like the redesigned $20 and $50 that preceded it -- incorporates state-of-the-art security features to combat counterfeiting, including three that are easy to use by cash handlers and consumers alike:

• Color-shifting ink: Tilt your $10 to check that the numeral "10" in the lower right-hand corner on the face of the note changes color from copper to green.
• Watermark: Hold the note up to the light to see if a faint image of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton appears to the right of his large portrait. It should be visible from both sides of the note. On the redesigned $10 note, it is easier than ever to locate the watermark -- a blank oval has been incorporated into the design to highlight the watermark's location.
• Security thread: Hold the note up to the light and make sure there's a small strip that repeats "USA TEN" in tiny print. It should run vertically to the right of the portrait.

"We expect to update currency every seven to 10 years in order to stay ahead of the latest digital technology available to would-be counterfeiters," said Bureau of Engraving and Printing Director Tom Ferguson. "Each time we introduce a redesigned note into circulation, our objective is its seamless transition into daily commerce, both in the United States and around the world."

The new $10 note is the latest in the new series of U.S. currency.

The new series began with the $20 note in 2003 and continued with the $50 note in 2004.

The $100 note will be the next denomination to be redesigned after the $10 note.

At this time, the government said it has no plans to redesign the $5 note, and the $1 and $2 notes will not be redesigned.