The wind has died down, thank goodness. We had about three days of it, which is three days too long for yours truly. Today is coolish and sunny and still. Good.
I moseyed around the property yesterday as I checked on new growth. Everything is taking off. I haven’t yet cleaned out the area around the peonies, but I see the red stems coming out of the ground.
Two of these beauties were dining on some clover in the lawn. They were very small – maybe an inch and a half to two inches wide? I thought they were moths, but my investigation (I use that word loosely) tells me they may be Painted Lady butterflies. They migrate from Mexico to Canada in the spring. I’m going to settle on Painted Lady unless someone has more information?
The maple right outside the kitchen door is leafing out. Huzzah! The big sugar maple always takes a bit longer, but it’s on its way.
Yarrow in the big garden bed. I love those delicate, lacy leaves.
The hyacinths are so beautiful. I found these bulbs – mystery bulbs to me – when I created another garden bed on the side of the house. I didn’t know it they were viable, but I took a chance and planted them here in the big garden bed. I was so delighted when I realized they were hyacinths!
I found another crabapple tree in the middle of an area of brambles which is close to our property line but very near to the kitchen window. There were so many brambles that I didn’t dare try to get close to it, so I ran inside for my new lens.
After almost 12 years here, I still find surprises. It’s a nice sized tree, so I imagine I’ve somehow missed it because it’s in an area that I usually leave to itself. Brambles and I don’t get along, though I have to do some trimming today. Wish me luck.
There’s also a baby tree springing up right outside the kitchen window – that’s what sent me outside yesterday. I saw two little flowers blooming and knew I had to investigate. That little sapling led me to the bigger tree.
If I have misidentified this, let me know. There is another crabapple that I’ve spoken of on the other side of the property, down near the street. I see that it’s budding and here’s my quandary: that crabapple has a pinkish color of unopened flower bud and when the flowers finally open, you can see traces of the pink on the back of the petals. I don’t see that with these flowers. But I’ve searched and searched and the only possibility I can settle on is…crabapple.
Once things start taking off in the gardens and on the property, there’s always something new to investigate! Maybe instead of Nancy Drew, I should invent a character named Nancy Grew…
Happy Tuesday.
Lovely pictures. We’re a tad behind here in extreme eastern WI. We’re so close to those cool Lake Michigan breezes. But soon the numerous crab apple trees in our neighborhood should be in full bloom. I’m mourning the loss of our big backyard ash tree, a victim of emerald ash borer disease. A tree service nursed it along for us the past five years, but we had to pull the plug this spring. The squirrels (we have both gray and a feisty little red one) all look accusingly at me when I go out back to fill the bird feeders.
We have several ashes on the property – almost all of them fell victim to emerald ash borer disease. It was already happening when we first moved in here, so we’ve accepted it as it’s destroyed so many ashes in this neck of the woods. Sad.
Sorry I can’t help with any identification process…that gene skipped me! My mom was so good at that…she’d see a leaf or flower and know exactly what it was. Amazing! I’m slowly making my way around the yard…identifying things…planning out what gets moved or not. There is so much work…but, I decided I would take my time…after all, it is still early in the season. Nancy Grew? Perfect….you could write up a quick chapter in your free time to introduce the character! ;)
Good idea! But it seems like I have no free time at the moment – probably because of the garden, Anastasia, etc.
Well Nancy Grew, you are finding some lovely signs of Spring! Be careful of those brambles. We are in full bloom here and thus my allergies are also. I am going to the Dr today since I heard some weird sounds from my chest when I breathe (not good I’m sure). I’ll just rest and read some more today. Hugs!
I had those sounds when I had that flu – and they hung on for a while. Feel better, my friend.
Beautiful garden discoveries! After reading so much about Nancy Drew on your blog, Claudia, I finally checked out my first Nancy Drew book from the library. I’ll let you know how I like the book.
Enjoy – remember they were meant for young girls, not adults. Have fun.
Great pictures Claudia. So nice to see things beginning to emerge and bud and bloom. Our wisteria is just beginning to bud (leaves and flowers), our red bud is in full glory, etc., etc. It does the heart good to see it all.
I love wisteria, I’ll bet it’s beautiful.
Spring is here and surely there at your lovely home, Claudia.
I just Love your photos.
By the way, I am enjoying a book that you reviewed; it came!
I am reading and enjoying.
Is it the one you won or another book?
At our last house (about 30 years ago), we had both white and pink flowering crabs. Those white flowers certainly look like them. Our winds are supposed to pick up this aft again and gust to 30mph. Tired of it.
I would read a Nancy Grew story! You would have to illustrate it with your lovely pictures. Fun!!
Have a good Tuesday! Watch it in those bramble areas. ouch!!
So tired of wind. Is it just me or has it been particularly windy this year?
That yarrow is pretty. I will have to look it up and see if it will grow around here.
It probably will, but I’m no expert!
That butterfly is either a Painted Lady or Red Admiral, not sure which. I think there’s different varieties of crabapple.
All your blooms – trees and flowers – are on par with ours. It’s like spring finally exploded this week. Enjoy!
I love your pictures…although they make me homesick for NY. Your white blossoms look an awful lot like the flowers on my Pear tree…
I don’t think it’s a pear though. Pear and apple trees have similar flowers, I think. Crabapples tend to grow wild around here – aren’t we lucky?
I looked up the Red Admiral – seems more like the Painted Lady.
Thank goodness spring has exploded, Melanie! We’ve waited a long time for it to arrive.
That butterfly is gorgeous. It might be a Monarch Butterfly. They are orange and black. I finally got around to mowing my front yard and cleaned up some of the dried out leaves from Autumn. It is a lovely day today.
Marilyn
It’s not a Monarch. Monarchs have different markings and are much bigger. Have a great day, Marilyn.
I love the close-up ‘nature’ photos. Your property is full of discovery and, oh, those hyacinths; they are for the soul, aren’t they!
We had some fair amount of rain for a few hours this morning here in SoCalif; what a blessing to have these showers after March, which will continue to keep us green for a little while yet. SO very different from the past bad-drought years. Wasn’t fun for me as the person of responsibility of getting my husband back and forth from surgery today, starting the day so early, parking and re-parking the car too many times and having to walk a long way (I did a couple of errands while he was ‘under’ and well before he was in Recovery)…and all in the rain, but two nurses helped him at curbside getting into the car in all that slicky-wet and we’ve been resting at home now (I am wiped out!). He’s pretty wobbly still, not himself, and I actually locked up the home office with the computer (and his i-phone) because it’s the first stuff he asked for but he’s in no shape to be online or make any kind of real sense, like a financial transaction of course (in this sedated state) so he’s pretty ‘put out’ with me at the moment that he can’t get online or do his social media thing (hey, I’m just following doctor’s instructions!). Tomorrow, he’ll unlikely remember any of this, though. He had good results with the surgery, or so we hope…the doctor said ‘things look good’…although, related to none of this, the doctor took one look at my husband’s hand (from where he broke his fall on hard concrete when he fell while running to a meeting he was late for at work about four days ago) and said, “That swollen hand needs an x-ray; I’m concerned he’s broken a bone.” So, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. And we’ll get that x-ray done in the morning if he’s feeling up to it.
Anyway, enough drama. Rain over and sun out, 80 degrees about 4pm, so now we’ve been a steamy swamp the past few hours…but I know my new plants loved some ‘moisture’ and it was a treat driving between cities today and seeing the greened-up mountains in our valley; always a great sight.
I was thinking of you today. I wasn’t sure if this was the day your husband had his surgery, but I had a feeling it was. Lots of stress and waiting and worry, I know. I hope he’s feeling better today as I write this reply (Wednesday.) xo
Hi Claudia… I am reading the book I won…getting to know the family, the background, and now it
is getting me hooked.
Thank you!
You may get another copy as I wrote to them saying it hadn’t arrived yet! (If you do, I bet you’ll find someone who would like a copy!)
Lovely photos! I love the way colorful spring flowers provide a welcome break from our gray spring skies. It’s still chilly and wet here, not a normal spring.
Yes, chilly here today. And it just started raining.
Your new discovery is a shad tree ( Amelanchier). Always blooms around middle of April and is very common in the northeast. Beautiful!
I don’t think it is, Betsy. I looked it up the other day and the petals are longer and more angular (much skinnier!) on the shad tree blooms. The petals are rounder on my tree. And the bark is different.
I have seen shad trees (amelanchier) around here; in fact, I always see a lot of them in the spring, but this isn’t one of them. Thank you, anyway!
Especially love crab apple, cherry and apple trees in bloom. My great grandmother had a backyard full of cherry and apple trees that made spring a pink fairyland. Do remember pear trees too. Until a couple of years ago, we used to travel in springtime (and fall) and spent a of time in Williamsburg Va. and Vermont. Remember the crab trees blooming at Shelburne Vt. The parking lot was full of crab trees and in autumn those trees were covered with the little apples. Spring has something to look forward to each day. Unless it’s weird with 90 degree weather or deep snow! Dianne
There are apple trees about to bloom around here as well as pear and crab apple. They’re so lovely!