Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus are proving spring is a time for new beginnings ... 'cause they appear to be dating based on their loved-up Easter post.

The actress and singer posted a shared Instagram post Sunday ... with BRC leaning in close and planting a kiss on EH's cheek while she giggles in front of the camera.

Billy's wearing a pair of green bunny ears in the snap ... captioned by Hurley as "Happy Easter ♥️" -- with no other context for fans.

As you can imagine, the pic sent social media into a frenzy ... with fans and famous friends -- like Emmy nominee Melissa Gilbert -- expressing confusion.

Elizabeth's son, Damian, wrote a comment on the post as well ... writing, "