April Fools

Welcome to wildlife gardening; where the only things wild in my wilderness surrounded by acres upon acres upon acres of urban sprawl seems to be songbirds, the birds that eat the songbirds, cats cats cats, and the wild woolly wind blowing through my hair.  I would shed a tear, but it is what it is, and a whimper changes nothing.

Finishing my photo session this morning was short lived as being in the gardens today is akin to camping out in my frosty refrigerator with just a blanket of filmy saran wrap to comfort me, and praying someone hurries up and opens that dang door to let the warmer air rush in.  I finally was driven, surrounded by too much sunshiny chill, to make a hasty retreat to that man-made warmth I crave so much when the temps are below 60 degrees.

The gardens have awakened from winter rest, and while the first blooms make one’s heart exuberant, the first weeds on a rush to win the Spring Madness Marathon make one’s body cry bloody murder at all that weeding mayhem that will last until winter is again upon us.  Please remind me again why I thought all those years ago this was such a grand idea; this idea that would eventually be the beginning of my achy breaky body downfall :’(

Little Beauty Tulip - the only tulip that comes back every year in the garden

Fothergilla

Clusiana Tulip with it's grape center - opening up on a sunny day

Closing up at end of day

Sometimes gardening's a slight headache

Non-native Bleeding Hearts

Golden Alexanders

Virginia Bluebells

Little Sweet Betsy Trillium

rescued from work

 when wildflower garden was removed for new visitor's center 

Jacob's Ladder

Celandine Poppy

Shooting Star

Native Dogwood in early stages of bloom before turning white at maturity

Spring Beauty growing among native Coral Bells

Flowers of Spring Beauty close up at night

Eastern Red Columbine

Fern and Moss Garden

Blueberries

Thank goodness we aren't human!

  >*-*<  cool kitties