It’s Friday and you know what that means…we make a point to showcase all the beauty Mother Nature freely provides us…when we look around. As always, we join our ‘fur-iends’ Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard in sharing what we’ve observed. Like much of the country we’ve managed to receive frequent rain showers. Just as the garden was bursting forth with color galore, a quick hail storm threatened to put the kibosh on the beauty, but we actually managed to dodge the bullet unlike that monster that hit us a couple of years ago. But enough about the weather (can’t change it anyway, right?) so let’s get right to the beautiful and fascinating sights from this week.

Appreciating nature in my ‘hood only requires a quick walk and when you’re out and about a few times a day with a couple of knuckleheads, that’s extra easy. Walking with the dogs, seeing what interests their snouts provides me with observing things too many people miss because they have their noses stuck in a little screen. It’s still astounding that people think they’re walking their dog, but are actually tethered to a small screen. They neglect to see the beauty (or dangers) surrounding us. What’s an observer of life to do? Relish what IS seen!

I had to make a few extra trips to the post office and library this week and walking to each location allows me to see stuff I wouldn’t if I drove. Like this dragonfly that landed next to the sidewalk. I nearly missed him. Those transparent wings nearly made him  invisible but for his body being a bright green.

Speaking of pollinators, check out this gorgeous Swallowtail butterfly that flew right past me. I gasped and worried he might take off before I could pull out my phone and contort myself near enough to capture him in this rose bush. Such a showy dude!

Walking offers a terrific way to see some other garden friends, the bees. Whenever I come across purple or blue flowers, I know there’ll be somebody in there either drinking the nectar or scooping up pollen.

Tucked into a corner of a pie shaped sliver of a garden on the way to the library, I came across a beautiful little oasis complete with mini Stonehenge water feature.

This garden contains lovely flowers including this lovely rose and Heuchera (Coral Bells) where one can stop and meditate for a few moments while the sky grew moody, suggesting a storm. It was just too lovely not to linger, even if I did get wet.

Smiling inside and out as I left this beautiful area, lo and behold another beauty  screamed out at me. Ice plants are very common around here but I’d never seen this color combination before. It was definitely worth the wait!

Arriving back home after my wanderings and being contemplative after seeing such beautiful sights, I stopped and took in my own front garden. It gave me yet another opportunity to savor everything Mother Nature offered this week.

As I walked up the front walk, I began to notice the jungle, otherwise known as an arm-shredding rose bush near the front door. I had been planning to move it but the weather didn’t cooperate and I feared transplanting it after the late snow storms might kill it. Now it’s spread like a virus and is covered in buds (along with those prickly thorns). But now, it has the first delicate blooms.

Have you taken time to appreciate Mother Nature this week? I sure hope so. Enjoy the  weekend and don’t forget to “stop and smell the roses” along your way.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Welcome to another edition of Nature Friday where we visit our ‘fur-iends’ Rosy and her brothers from The LLB Gang. We’re finally greeting with gorgeous blue skies this morning which should last for at least for the next couple of days. It’s still chilly (in the 30’s at this writing) but should warm up nicely (until the next round of cooler weather returns).

Despite the chilly weather and snow this week, the number of blooming plants we encountered during our daily walks and in our garden have been surprising. The many lupines, irises and peonies in my garden seem to have taken the snow with a grain of salt and are either blooming or will, in spite of what nature threw at them this week. Take the Oriental poppies for instance. The colorful, herbaceous plant of the Papaveraceae family, poppies are very easy to grow and come in shades of white, yellow, pink, orange and red. Red poppies have been used as the symbol of remembrance since the trench warfare in the Flanders, Belgium poppy fields of World War I.

This year, as any West Coast  resident can likely attest, the California poppy bloom has been spectacular due to all they rain they have received. California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), with their fern-like foliage and lively orange, red and yellow flowers are very drought-tolerant plants that are self-seeding and offers long-lasting blooms that provide reliable, easily maintained plants especially with extra moisture and goodness knows, there’s been plenty of that to go around this year. Last year a couple  magically appeared and quickly multiplied around the garden. Though mine haven’t bloomed yet, they will burst onto the scene soon once the weather warms up. Guess I need to do more thinning this weekend if this spot is any indication of their self-seeding abilities. That spot used to be bare but is now filled in with new lupines, sage and California poppies. Guess the Mile High can be jungle-like given enough prolific seeders and some moisture.

Having been cooped up and shivering all week long, I plan to get out and check out what Mother Nature has  been up to after this week’s storm. Do you have any plans that will get you out to enjoy some of the beauty Mother Nature’s willing to share? Hope your weekend is full of beauty and fun.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

It’s Friday so that means we’re joining our friends, Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard for this another edition of Nature Friday Blog Hop. This week the ‘editors’ decided at our staff meeting to share a touch of the woods despite them being miles away and the minor detail of the Ranch hands living in an urban landscape. Sam in particular likes this first exhibit, it smells heavenly to both him and his ‘huMom.’

As the early spring bulbs begin to wind down, we’re beginning to notice a transition to other spring bloomers. Golden Alyssum, sometimes called basket-of-gold plants (Aurinia saxtilis) is starting to pop up along our neighborhood walks. This easy to grow perennial signals that spring is moving full speed ahead toward the full blooming gardening season. Hardy from Zone 3 through 7, this taxicab-yellow addition likes a sunny garden location with well-drained soil and will tend to die back once the weather takes on hot summer temps. It doesn’t particularly like overly rich soil, wet or humid conditions which tends to make it well-suited for Denver’s high mountain desert conditions. Once the blossoms drop, a quick shear of the top third of the plant will freshen its look and prevent it from going to seed. You can divide the plants in the Autumn.

Planted at the base of a tree with south-west exposure, Golden Alyssum provides a nice wooded area look to my neighbor’s garden. Frequently planted as a ground cover with bulbs, it keeps the garden looking less bedraggled once all the daffodils, tulips and other spring bulbs have finished blooming before summer perennials take center stage.

Another woodland looking plant that is beginning to show up is Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata). Suitable for planting in nearly any soil conditions, it likes sunny exposures though it will tolerate partial shade. Soil should be well-drained. Cutting back spent blooms may provide subsequent blooming. the plants are about four inches tall and can spread up to two feet providing a blanket of blooms in bright shades of pink, lavender, red, white or bluish-purple. This low-maintenance evergreen plant works well on slopes or other  areas, can spread between rocks or tumble over a wall and makes it perfect for creating a woodland look in the landscape garden. Creeping phlox is drought-tolerant hardy in USDA Zones 3B through 10 and requires supplemental water only during warm, dry weather.

So as you think of Mother Nature this weekend, don’t forget to look toward woodland looks to making the transition from early spring bulbs toward warm weather plants. Hope your weekend is full of beauty and peace.

Live, love, bark! 🐾