If you suffer from pine pollen, now is probably not your favorite time of year.  

 

We saw these pine cones looking all pollen-y, and I couldn’t help feel for my friends with allergies.  

 

Fortunately we don’t suffer any allergies, so we DO love this time of year.  I love seeing all the trees in bloom, and knowing that they will be making seeds and cones.  

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

 

 

The leaves are just starting to come out here.  Our whole world is light green.

 

I love seeing the leaves come out on the Tulip poplars.  They are tiny, but perfectly shaped like tulips.  Eventually they will get big and provide lots of shade.  But right now they are tiny replicas of their grown up selves.

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

LOOK!!!  The apple tree is booming, and it isn’t even my birthday yet.

 

Family story  ;)  When I was three years old, Momma wrote in my baby book that I told everybody that the apple tree “boomed” just for my birthday.  We’ve still got two weeks to go before my birthday.  But the apple trees are definitely booming!!!

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

This picture shows the Rue-Anemone in its natural habitat: open woods.  

 

But it looks far bigger than it really is.  Each little plant is only about 4-8 inches high, and the flowers are less than 1 inch across.  Their bright whiteness is so sweet in the dark woods, they catch your eye, and make you think:  what is that sweet little flower?  Well, now you know.  Buttercup Family, Rue-Anemone.

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

 

 

Don’t you just love seeing violets in the grass?  Me too!!!

 

They are everywhere right now, blooming their little heads off.  I hope you get to see some on your walks.

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

Look who’s coming up.  My friend Piercen (14 years old) planted sunflower seeds in the garden a couple weeks ago, and they are just starting to sprout.    

 

Last summer when he came over to walk in the garden, he told me that he learned in school about phototropism.  Sunflowers are the ultimate phototropic plants.  They turn their heads to follow the sun.  So fun to see.

 

So when it was time to plant sunflower seeds and he was here, I got him to come over and poke the seeds into the ground.  

 

We can watch them grow together.  I love sharing the garden with youngsters.  They love it too.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Don’t you love seeing dandelions this time of year?  They look like sunshine to me.  Partly because they are yellow, but also because the bees and butterflies love them.  

 

These are beneath the blueberry bushes.  So while the pollinators are visiting the dandelions, they pollinate the blueberry bushes too.  

 

And everybody is happy.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Do you know this tree?  I bet you do, just not at this stage.  This is how they look right now: blooming fuzzy yellow.

 

On your next walk around the neighborhood, look up, you may see some.

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

As we were walking the loop, this native dogwood caught my eye.  It is just starting to bloom.  I love how the blossoms start out green, then open to show bright white.  

 

We saw a bunch of dogwoods on our drive into Murphy on Friday.  They are all along the roadside.  

 

It won’t be long before we will see them blooming everywhere.  

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

Cilantro coming up in the garden.  We are SO fortunate!!!  Of course, I planted the seeds, but it’s always a thrill when they emerge.  And in this quantity!!!  

 

Woohoo!!!  We love cilantro and coriander.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!