Spring!
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February 20 - Crocus were first to bloom as usual. Their blossoms unfolded in late February this year. |
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March 1 - Daffodils added a golden splash
of color beginning the first week of March. This year, one had a lovely orange center to complement the yellow petals. |
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March 10 - More yellow. The forsythia blooming by the wood pile. |
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March 15 - Next out, the one (?) that
grows alongside a climbing rose under a trellis leading into the backyard. What's this? Wisteria? Honeysuckle? (No) If you can identify this plant, please let me know what it is! |
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Winter refuses to relax its icy
grip! This photograph was taken Sunday, March 19, the day before the official beginning of spring. The flowering quince began to bloom a couple of weeks ago, so their blossoms were caught in a late winter snow storm. Fortunately, the temperature was in the low 30s, so all should be well. |
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March 24 - A sure sign of spring. The toads have returned to the backyard water garden to begin their annual courtship rituals. This one was caught by the camera in mid-croak. Notice the expanded membrane on its throat. |
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March 25 - Peach blossoms are in full
bloom and filling the air with their delicate scent. Hopefully, we'll have another good crop this year on both our dwarf and our full-size tree. |
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March 27 - A lovely yellow tulip opens
wide to catch the warm rays of the midmorning sun. Its little brother daffodil can be seen on the lower left. |
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April 6 - One of the features this part of
the country is best known for this time of year is the red bud tree. They're
in full bloom and looking absolutely lovely. This one is in the yard of the neighbor across the street and provides us a scenic view from our front window. |
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The colors of spring never fail to enchant and delight the onlooker. Here's a crab apple in full bloom just down the block. |
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It's April 12, and the blossoms on our dwarf apple tree in the front yard are in all their glory. Although a small tree, it has been producing enough fruit every year for several nice pies! |
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April 17 - The Japanese cherry blossom tree in the front yard is at its peak. As I recall, there were no blooms on this tree the first few years we lived here, and we almost cut it down, thinking it was a volunteer nuisance shrub! |
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Lilacs add a lovely touch to this time of year and their fragrance can be sensed throughout the neighborhood. They used to give Jean migraine headaches, but now they're one of her favorites. |
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It's April 21st and the first rose of spring has made its appearance! This is always an exciting time for us. This year, it is the climbing rose near the front door that has proved to be the early bloomer. |
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Well, here we go again! It's mid April, and
these annuals shouldn't be alive, let alone looking so lovely. They survived
the mild winter in the shelter of our makeshift greenhouse. Can you name the flower? (Hint: It's a member of the carnation family.) |
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Right next door to the above plants are
some snapdragons in full bloom. This is another annual that wintered over
under our greenhouse by the pond. We saved some impatiens by taking them indoors over the winter. Time now to move them back outside. |
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April 25 - The climetus are gracing us with their presence. This year, a blue jay has built a nest on top of this arbor, so we're having to take a detour to get to the pond to avoid disturbing her. |
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It's early May, and Irises are in bloom
throughout the yard. We had forgotten how many we had and their locations! Here's a lovely yellow one that clearly shows the striations in the petals. |
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May 14 and the Peonies in the front yard
are finally open. Ever notice how black ants seem to like peonies? When Jean and
I were kids, we both thought the ants played a role in the flower's budding. Just visible in the lower right is the edge of the Iris bed the peony adjoins. |
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