It’s Friday where we join our pals Rosy, Sunny and Jakey from LLB in Our Backyard for another edition of Nature Friday.
Nature continues to tease Spring’s arrival. This week she tried a different strategy. Seasonal winds are a hallmark of March but seemed to wait until April to arrive and have been buffeting the Front Range all week. Wait a minute…I thought April supposed to be the gentle, sweet month with showers for flowers. Ahem…I’m waiting Mother Nature. Oh sure, if my count was accurate, about 16 drops of moisture fell earlier this week but cold, strong winds evaporated them immediately. Sigh.
Here are this week’s images from around the neighborhood that suggest spring’s arrival. I’ll spare you the typical tulips, daffodils, or forsythia blooms. With the lack of measurable moisture they aren’t quite as picturesque as usual. I did find a few exceptions though.
One particular hyacinth caught my eye from a shady spot. It was chock-full of glorious white flowerets. No color needed here with this beauty.
The tree canopy is just beginning to unfurl its leaves but remains at the beginning stages. Crisp temperatures no doubt are contributing to the delay but when you look closer, you see the promise of future shade. The neighborhood staple-maple trees, showed tiny incremental development despite cold mornings as they begin to leaf out (as I began this post this morning it was 30ºF with a thin layer of frost on the rooftops).
This flowering crab found along yesterday’s walk showed it was ‘thinking’ about blooming. With next week’s forecast, I hope they survive possible snow showers and continued cool temps. Having lived on a street as a kid that was lined with flowering crab trees, the sight of seeing them bloom makes them one of the prettiest of the flowering trees and brought back happy childhood memories. If you look closely you can just see hints of pink ready to burst forward.
Another early springtime beauty around here are pasque flowers. Native to meadows and prairies from North America to as far away as the UK and Norway, Pulsatilla typically blooms around Easter time. When I looked it up to learn more, I discovered it is a toxic plant and was used as a homeopathic medicine by Native Americans for centuries. Blackfoot Indians used it to induce childbirth and it has been used to treat reproductive problems (i.e. PMS and epididymitis). Those soft hairs always intrigue me. I’m a sucker for texture.
Yesterday’s walk also provided a ground cover/shrub I’ve not noticed before. I think it might be some sort of Photinia but not positive. If you know what it is, please leave a comment. Aren’t the pink edges pretty?
Imagine my surprise encountering this sheltered strawberry plant robustly emerging near the base of a tree!
I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for wildlife sightings. Those efforts were rewarded yesterday as a ginger cat followed our crossing in front of its domain. The dogs totally missed him but I didn’t (truth be told, my eye had originally focused on the childlike greeting drawn on the front door wishing a Happy Easter). We may not have been as good as ‘bird TV’ but this fella was likely irritated by mesmerized by our presence or it’s a darn good guard cat.
We’ve only encountered one robin as yet but did manage to see these beauties in a front yard. I think they may be ‘permanent’ residents though.
One last pretty this week may be a hardy cyclamen of some sort. It wasn’t very tall but that color grabbed me like a stage hook, screaming “LOOK AT ME, look. at. me!”
My eyes are always drawn to shocks of color and when you add in variegated leaves, well count me in. What draws your eye when your trying to view evidence of spring?
That’s it for another week. Spring continues to take its sweet time but it makes for opportunities to consciously hunt for it. Got any special plans for the weekend? Nothing is on our radar except to wish a dear friend a very happy birthday. You know who you are. Happy birthday, girl-we love you and hope your day is as special as you are.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Beautiful tour, Monika, and the cat in the window, completes it all😸 We think you’re right about the Photinia, we looked it up and it says it’s the Photinia fraseri Pink Marble. We had kind of the same in our other garden in the other house, but on further inspection it was complete different from this one…MOL…Pawkisses for a Happy Week ahead🐾😽💞
Thanks Binky; we thought lots of our ‘fur-iends’ might enjoy the kitty in the window pic. We hope you have a super week and can enjoy loads of outdoor garden time.
We mostly have snow still, but a few buds are coming. Soon! Lee and Phod
It’s fun watching the landscape morph into another season.
It’s true that the colors just pop against the grey spring! Beautiful pictures, I love the purple ones!
Thank you! I’m partial to the purples myself. They stand out so much.
So many beeuteefull flowerss Miss Monika!!
Wee due not know THE name of THE plant with pink tinty leevess butt wee have sum here an think it iss sum sort of Ivy?!?!? Wee obviouslee NOT Bottanistss, mew mew mew…
An wee have a Robin who hangss out here two. BellaSita named him Rob(in) Tomas aftur THE singer…not sure why???
Hopin Spring findss it’ss way to youss there an us here an efurrywhere Spring SHUUD bee 😉
**nose rubss** BellaDharma an ((huggiess)) BellaSita Mum
Thanks for the kind words, dear kitty. Spring will come, it’s just taking its own sweet time. I just hope it brings some moisture with it. 😉 Have a good weekend!
Wee hope you get sum nice rain an no more snow Miss Monika an Elsa an sweet Norman!!!
It was nice out today (Tuesday) furinallee!
No rain or snow, just wind. April has not been very spring-like here in the city but the mountains are getting some. Hopefully it’ll help with reservoir levels. 🤞🏼
Looking at your blooms, I am beyond jealous. My daffs are just leaves, as of yet. I did spot my first crocus whilst walking for the last time at lunch with an office buddy this past Tuesday. They were beauties and I cannot believe I had forgotten my phone at the office! Oh well… I am hoping the rain stays away long enough for me to take a walk tomorrow. I shall be scouting for some signs.
Happy Saturday, Monika!
We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you that you’ll experience some springlike conditions this weekend. And not the wet kind. 🌷🌷🌷
It would be nice. We’ll get ’em when we do 🙂
Gorgeous flower shots, also love the kitty in the window…of course!
He sure seemed to be curious about our lot. Big Norman seems to attract attention from everyone he encounters. 😉 Have a lovely weekend.
We’ve had the 35 degree mornings and fifties afternoons this week. What would we do without all the color that nature gives us!? Thanks for the beautiful pictures, Monika.
Our pleasure. Your weather sounds typical for springtime. Here’s hoping your weekend is lovely.
Charlee: “We cats do keep a sharp eye out!”
Good thing, too. There’s a lot of ‘sketchy’ out there.
Beautiful pictures of your natural world! My first thought about your unknown plant life was also some variety of Euonymus.
At first I thought your Pulsatilla was a passion flower, but nope, you are correct and I am not, LOL!
Now that’s a first! But they do look very similar, don’t they? 😉
Beautiful blossoms.
Thanks. Spring is taking its sweet time but we’re making some progress.
We’re still waiting for warmer weather, too. But at least it isn’t too warm for pleasant gardening. 🙂 I think your mystery shrub is Euonymus fortunei.
Thanks for the specimen suggestion. I’ll do some comparisons. Have a great weekend gardening!
Thank you, Monika!
Spring hit the snooze until it automatically turned off and then it kept on sleeping!
Spring is acting like a teenager. Recalcitrant and petulant. 😇
Ooooooooh mama! Two great words for our Melville File!
And remarkable accurate in this case.
Very much so.
You certainly garnered some treasures on your walk!
They’re out there, we just have to remember to look for them.
That was a fruitful walk! Or a bloomful walk maybe.
‘Fruitful walk – Bloomful walk’ Love that!
WOW!! What beautiful blooms and foliage this week! The Pulsatilla really caught my eye!
Have a pawsome weekend!
xoxo,
Rosy, Jakey & Sunny
It took some serious scouring to find images worthy of sharing. I think the lack of moisture has made spring’s arrival less than spectacular this year.
We have a wee little strawberry plant volunteering to be in our garden! have a lovely day!
Squeals. That’s exciting. Just don’t let the squirrels know. 😉
flowers galore around your place! Love your photos, makes me want to paint them and try to capture the textures
Textures can add so much to paintings.
Love all the signs of spring. Beautiful.
Love the guard cat.
Thank you for taking me along.
I linked this post to Feline Friday. I couldn’t help myself.
Have a fabulous day and weekend. Scritches to the pups, a smooch to Norman and a big hug to mom. ♥
You’re always so kind. Thank you. 😸
You’re always welcome on our walks. Norman would love the company. Have a super weekend!
we love the cyclamen, it has such a wonderful color… ours are red or white … or the ones of the mama are brown ;O))
Snorf! The red ones are sooo pretty. I only see the pink variety around here.
A great walk about, Monika. Thanks.
Thanks John. We hope you have a great weekend.
The same to you, Monika.