We had two wonderful spring days last week among the cold, blustery days we've been having. I took the opportunity to work outside during these days and start the spring cleanup of the various beds. While I do some fall cleanup, I leave much of the growth to protect the roots of the perennials. Cleaning that up and pulling the winter and spring weeds seems overwhelming at times, but I like to be outside and touch the plants and the dirt. I see and learn so much when I'm up close and personal with them. However, the best part of this week was seeing my first spring flowers with their bright, cheery colors, signaling that winter will soon be over. Every day, there are more blooming. However, our last frost date is not until the middle of May, but spring is definitely on its way.
Here are some of the things I found this week in my yard.
 |
| When we first moved into this house, I found that among the various plants, there were no crocuses. So, I promptly planted them here and there for spring surprises throughout the yard. |
 |
| Another set is around the corner. |
 |
| However, some crocuses are just coming up or are being eaten as soon as they do. |
 |
| The squirrels bury various nuts around the yard. Here is an acorn they left behind. If you look closely, you can see it is just starting to sprout. |
 |
| And speaking of squirrels, you can see their teeth marks around the bird feeder. This feeder is touted to be squirrel-proof, and unlike all others that say the same thing, this one actually works! Last fall, the birds stopped coming to the feeder completely, so after a few months, we took it down. We put it back up this week, and the birds have returned. Hooray! Here, you see a male house finch and a female one peeking from behind. Finches are our most frequent visitors to the feeder. |
 |
| The daffodils that are close to the warm house are blooming. Others are just a few leaves poking above the ground. |
 |
| A few of the forsythia buds have opened. |
 |
| The high winds blew part of a giant bee's nest down from one of the pear trees. (That grass looks pretty green, doesn't it? I guess it's enjoying all of the rain.) |
I hope you are finding some signs of spring where you are.
Until next time...
Spring flowers are some of the prettiest, aren't they? Love your crocuses! Was there any honey is the part of the bee hive that fell down?
ReplyDeleteI think crocus are my favorite flower in the spring. Not sure if it's because they are one of the first or if they are so bright. There was no honey with the nest. I'm not sure it was active, but every year when the pears are ripe there are bees all over the place.
DeleteMy forsythia is in full bloom, along with some daffodils and crocus. But the weather isn't acting like its spring yet. However, next week, end of week, we are to get two good days and on Friday, might possibly reach 70, which doesn't happen much here in March.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if we've hit 70 or not yet, but we had one day in the 60s and one in the 50s with sunshine. I think sunshine was the key to the nice day.
DeleteWe had been having very springlike weather until last night, when it snowed. We have hit 70, which is very unusual for us at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteSpring is definitely a transition season. We haven't had snow, but we've had a lot of wind and cold rain. However, it looks like Tuesday may warm up.
DeleteYour crocuses are so pretty! Are they hard to grow? We don't have any, but I really like them, so I might plant some if they're not too difficult. Our daffodils and hyacinths are coming up. I'm so happy to see flowers!
ReplyDeleteCrocuses are easy to grow. You plant little bulbs, and they come back year after year. Squirrels will occasionally dig them up, but sometimes they just "plant" them somewhere else. It's fun when you find one flower out in the middle of nowhere that they planted. :)
Delete