Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Spring on the march!

Dear Gardening Friends,
     Once again, we have reached that point in the calendar called Spring, when the surrounding landscape seems to change by the day, if not by the hour. Trees and shrubs that for months were dormant, drab and brown, have donned a mantle of leafy, lively green. Last nights buds are today’s blooms, in hues ranging from palest white to plumiest purple. And, the changes are not limited to the flora! Like clients with long-standing reservations, birds are returning to occupy their “suites” in the boughs, and atop porch columns! One is alerted to their presence by their singing, which starts long before the sun comes up. The ultimate eco-tourists, they can be seen, “twig-in-beak,” making their nests. They prepare their own accommodations, from renewable resources found on site, in Nature. Faced with these conditions, who among us can help but feel renewed and rejuvenated by the increased sunlight and warmth? That said, following is a portfolio of photographs of plants that recently emerged after a long Winter’s slumber in this zone 6B environ.  Look, and enjoy! Better yet, get outside, soak up some vitamin D, and observe what is growing around you! To revive a sixties expression, it is the ultimate “Happening!”
 
Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)

Trout Lily (Erythronium)

Blood Root (Sanguinaria Canadensis)

Hepatica (Ranunculaceae)

Peach Blossom (Prunus persica)

Grape Hyacinth (Mascari Armeniacum)

Colts Foot (Tussilago farfara)

     

( All photographs copyright Everett H. Scott. All rights reserved. No image may be used, copied or duplicated without express written permission of the photographer.)