Happy TGIF and welcome to another episode of Nature Friday, hosted by our Pacific Northwest fur-iends, Rosy, Sunny, Arty and Jakey from LLB in Our Backyard. Don’t forget to click on the link to check out what they and others in Blogville shared.
Having enjoyed more than a few days of life sustaining moisture earlier this week, spring has ramped up its presence. Tulips continue to bloom but other spring bulbs and tubers are now front and center. Alliums, a member of the garlic family, are now blooming and are quite gorgeous. We’ve been encountering many of them along our daily walks. Allium are a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes hundreds of species, including cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, and chives. Did you know allium is the Latin word for garlic? Allium vary in size in the different species, ranging from small (approximately 2–3 mm in diameter) to large (8–10 cm).
Bearded irises have begun blooming too, assuring lovely bouquets for alfresco dining.
Even the heavenly-scented lilacs, are beginning to emerge from a long winter sleep.
With all the rain we’ve received lately, woodland plants are verdant and beginning to bloom. Lupines and woodruff are some of my favorites.
Not all the moisture that’s fallen recently has been rain. It recently has been ‘snowing’ a bit, too.
Just kidding, that fallen ‘snow’ is just spent blossoms. Had you going there for a second, didn’t I?
It seems warmer and drier weather is in the foreseeable future and will be welcomed. Yesterday was a day of R&R enjoying the landscape while visiting my dad in southeast Colorado.
We hope you enjoy your weekend but don’t forget to use some sunscreen. Or you could spend outdoor time under an umbrella like I did yesterday. Either way, we hope any time is spent outside enjoying nature is ‘wagnificent.’
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Isn’t it amazing – we are all the way across the country from you, but we are getting the same blooms right now! We had a spell of summer weather, but now we are back to normal temperatures (low 70’s) for this time of year. And we finally got some much-needed rain with more on the way. Of course, no one wanted said rain on the holiday weekend, but that’s how it goes! 🙂
You’re right, the local weather seems synced yours. Right down to the rainy forecast for the holiday weekend. 😆
Ooooooo! Irises are Ma’s FAVORITES!!!! Okays, so Ma has a few ‘favs’ butts they are right there at the top!!! She can’t have them, cause she kills them….a slow painful death….😉 So, she just admires them from afar….it’s better for everyone that way…BOL!!!!
Kisses,
Ruby ♥
Irises are the easiest flowers to grow. With little maintenance required (except for dividing), they practically take care of themselves. 🌺
Ever so beautiful flowers!
Why thank you! The garden is prettiest, this time of year.
So many beautiful flowers!!! Mom loves the smell of lilacs too. We had a lilac bush too, but we think we “watered” it too much – the boys, that is:)
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
Funny how lilacs don’t like my watering either.
Your fur-iend,
Norman
Lulu: “Our Dada is always hiding from the sun under umbrellas, trees, overhangs …”
Charlee: “Awnings, porches …”
Chaplin: “Giant hats …”
Probably better for him in the long run anyway.
Great shot from the underside of an umbrella! It’s supposed to be in the nineties and dry for the next few days here. Hope your nice weather continues.
Ugh, nineties already? Not sure I’m ready for that much summer right now. 😉
Ready or not, we’ve got it!
Oh that deep purple iris I LOVE!
My Mom loves irises!
Glad you got to spend time with your Dad. Have a great weekend! I enjoyed sitting outside this morning listening to the birds sing. 🙂
I’m with you, those dark purple irises are sooo beautiful. Have a great weekend!
😊❤
The allium look like purple fireworks and the lupine are just plain magnificent. And as for the “snow”, THAT is the best kind of snowfall. And I love that final capture under the red umbrella . .nice.
Thanks, Marco. You’re so right-that kind of snow is most welcome these days. 😊
I bet! LOL
Mee-yow wow what speck-taculur flowerss Miss Monika!
Mee lovess THE littel blossomss on THE treess. LadyMew LOVESS Irisess!! Those purpell beardy oness made her *swoon*….do peepell *swoon* over flowerss??? Mew mew mew…
Pleese give Stormin Norman mee kind reegardss an sum **kissess**
Love to Elsa an you an Norman two!
**purrss** BellaDharma an {{huggiess}} LadyMew
You betcha…peeps definitely swoon! Have a great weekend.
Whew thanx fore lettin mee know Miss Monika! Mee was sorta wurried 😉
There’s nothing as beautiful than spring blossoms and flowers. Enjoy every minute because they don’t last long enough. The blossoms that is.
Have a fabulous day and weekend. Scritches to the pups, a smooch to Norman and a big hug to you. ♥
Right you are on blooms not lasting long enough. Hope you have a great weekend!
OMG, those irises are GORGEOUS! Especially the royal purple ones – purple always has been my favorite color. But, truly, all your flowers are beautiful!! Have a tail-wagging weekend and give the Ninja and StorminNorman
kisses n ear rubs for me.
The Beasties are most appreciative of the kisses and ear rubs, so thank you very much. I’m very partial to dark purple (almost black) irises myself though I have a number of beautiful blue versions in my iris garden. I absolutely adore bearded irises-they’re s easy to grow and look fabulous. I even have a couple that rebloom in the autumn which makes them twice as nice.
Lilacs are the best summer smell ever. I think I saw white lilacs today. Are white lilacs a thing???
Indeed they are and they are quite lovely. I’m not sure if their fragrance is as strong on the lilac colored ones but they sure are pretty in a vase.
I love spring flowers. Maybe it’s because of the long winter but they can sure cheer you up!
And with this past year of being sequestered due to the panDMANic, they are more welcome than ever!
Such beautiful flowers – every single one of them!
Why thank you, Molly. We hope your weekend is ‘pawsome!’
Terrific photos, Monika
Thanks John, appreciate the kind words. Have a lovely weekend.
The blooms you have presented for us are gorgeous! My chives…(allium) are starting to bloom. I always collect their seeds and toss them into my backwoods area so they can start clumps of pretty magenta there. My purple lilac has only made one little sprig of blossoms…and my larger older white one hasn’t made any. I think it needs to go, its very old and I think it got frostbitten. It’s a kind of scraggly thing anyways. Maybe I will dig it out and try to get it going in an open area in the backwoods, too. There are lots of honeysuckle bushes in there as well.
Glad you were able to have a good visit with your Dad.
Enjoy your weekend. I have to work…
My chives have such small blooms and naturalize everywhere so as soon as they’ve bloomed, I cut off the flower so I’m not digging chives out of between the flagstone path. I learned the hard way. 🙂 Don’t work too hard and have a great weekend!
Those irises! Wonderful colours!
Thanks, Helen. The purple ones always seem to bloom first. I have some soft pale blue, almost black and some fancy colored ones and a couple of light peach one that hopefully (I neglected to thin them last year so we’ll see) will bloom in a week or so. Fingers crossed!
For once our flowers are in sync! Lots of blooming lilacs here (some are already spent!). I notice a lot of allium, too and some irises – funny how some are fully opened and others, just starting out.
And your joke about snow… they got some (more like hail) in Alberta yesterday so… it could have been true!
Spring has sprung in earnest.
Beautiful shots, Monika!
Happy Friday and long weekend! Woot!
Awk! I hope there’s no hail-but Colorado has certainly had some whopper storms the past couple of years. Thanks for the kind words. Yes, it would seem we’re more in sync now that the official arrival of summer is just a month away. Yikes!! Enjoy a great weekend (our long weekend is next week-for Memorial Day).
I thought we both shared this weekend only for different reasons. Even here it’s called a bunch of different things.
It’s gonna be sooooo nice (well, it’s actually gonna rain but anyway, don’t care!)
Wow gorgeous pics… Great time of year for photography!
Thanks. They’ll get less attractive as we heat up but I’m loving them in the meantime.
That’s for sure!
Yup, just a few more weeks until stifling heat season. Have a good weekend. Get those Pupperonis outside to enjoy the Spring!
Yup, summer (aka hell weather) is technically just a month away.
Official Beer Season!
Yes, that too. And frankly a better way to look at it. Something positive from a negative—I like it!
What INCREDIBLE flowers……we just don’t have that variety around here…..I love lilacs – their beautiful scent is one of my favorites!!!!
Hugs, Pam
Their scent is absolutely intoxicating.
I envy all those flowers you see
It’s a really smorgasbord around this neighborhood.
the color of the iris is like a dream!!! love it…
The purples are so beautiful. We like ‘em too! Have a great weekend.