Spring- finally!

Crepe myrtle foliage yesterday. Cool plant with stunning summer flowers and really attractive glossy maroonish leaves.

The sun came out FINALLY yesterday shocking my system with vitamin D. The sun didn’t heat up the air until around three, then off went the flannel jacket, down to two t-shirts. Maybe only one t-shirt today. Worst spring ever weather-wise, and last night was the first no fire in the wood stove night. We are finally getting our first load of veggies and annuals today.

I mixed up a batch of seed/soil for lawn repair in Monroe. This combo sprouts new lawns in days not weeks. Give it a try!

Its safe now to start your veggie garden. These tiny pots were started two weeks ago, and they’re s-l-o-w-l-y showing life.

Acer palmatum ‘Katsura’ absolutely glowing with vigor in yesterday’s sun. This tree’s foliage changes each and every day in minute yet visible ways.

Pink horse chestnut flowers. Not the showiest from afar tree but with close inspection one wonders why this tree is not more mainstream.

The individual blossoms that make up the main flower are complex and alluring. Hummingbirds are happy visitors to this tree.

Evolution engineered this flower with each structure serving some role in pollination and reward for the insects and birds that visit. Too bad I know nothing of any of that except for the fact that it’s pretty interesting to wonder about.

Why does the tree put thousands of tiny hairs on each flower’s petals? What function do tiny hairs serve? Who benefits?

What reward is waiting at the back back of the flower’s throat? Who goes in there besides hummingbirds?

Maybe if a greater percentage of humans in the world wondered about this stuff the environmental situation wouldn’t be so dire.

Coarsely serrated foliage of a hybrid jap maple yesterday afternoon.

Another “linearlobum” Japanese maple that replaced a star magnolia in our parking lot display yesterday. The star magnolia, however stunning when in flower, won’t shine again for another 48 weeks. Not a good enough tree for me. Magnolias flower for a brief time then you gotta wait almost a year for the tree to do anything again.

I found a birds nest in the Norway spruce. This bird species just makes flat mud nests with no cups. I think it’s mourning dove strategy. One flat nest I saw had baby feathers on it but no babies. First mourning dove hatchlings are old enough to go out into the world.

Weeping variegated kousa dogwood looking pretty damn good yesterday with it’s first full set of leaves. Flowers come in June.