Wild about April

A

walk

in

the

Cornus florida, Flowering Dogwood

Full of flowers, probably because it is in full sun.

The flowers are in the center, 

and one can see five open or opening on this one.

A type of Camassia

Large-flowered Bellwort, Uvularia grandiflora

Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia 

Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells

As a spring ephemeral, the entire plant 

disappears into the ground by early summer.

When the flower falls off or withers, 

it often leaves behind the central reproductive structures.

I'm fairly sure this is Clematis candida.

It grows along the ground, 

and will create 3 to 6 very large flowers.

Extremely stunning.

Trillium sessile

Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum

Bottom side of leaves is a silver-white color.

Native Coral Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens,

Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)

Below you can see the flowers not yet open,

along with the ones that are open.

Viburnum 'Winterthur' flower bud clusters 

before opening up.

Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides

Young shoots are known as fiddleheads,

and furled leaves are fronds.

Do not remove the dead fronds from the year before.  

They will act as mulch as the new fronds cover them up.

then they will become fertilizer as they decompose.

I think, a red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) on 

Philadelphia fleabane, Erigeron philadelphicus

A Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

Hiding during the daytime , 

wedged in between the house siding and the gutter downspout

I think this is a young male Northern Cardinal.

Watching fast moving clouds:

A pig smelling a flower.

'My Mary' 

a native hybrid created from crossing 

native Rhododendron austrinum, Orange Azalea  

with Rhododendron 'Nacoochee',  

which is a natural deciduous hybrid azalea,

likely a cross between Rhododendron alianticum 

and Rhododendron periclymennoides.

Bumblebee collecting pollen.

Wilting flower slipping down the central reproductive structures

Lamprocapnos spectabilis, Asian Bleeding Heart 

On the left is Zizia aurea, Golden Alexanders.

It is a member of the Carrot family, Apiaceae.

It has reseeded itself to this location, and is about three feet tall,

 and much wider than that. 

It is in dappled shade, so apparently the originals 

I planted years ago along the back fence 

only eek out a meager living as they receive more shade now 

and grow flatter to the ground. 

The plant above right is 

Native Orange-red Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis.

After much research, we have determined this is Packera glabelia

It is a native annual that has seedheads 

that look like small Dandelion seedheads.  

It spreads so well each year that it would take over our yard 

in probably three years time.  We finally decided to removed it.

Carolina Geranium (Geranium carolinianum). 

A native annual that can become weedy, but we like it.

Shooting Stars, Dodecatheon meadia

An ephemeral spring wildflower

Charlotte on her bed, contemplating mischief.

Cooling breezes, almost too cool when a gust comes up, frame my mood in the garden this afternoon.  Maybe I might retreat to the warmth of my house, maybe a little bit longer outside would be much more refreshing.  The only thing constant in this garden this afternoon is the roar of tires gripping on the pavement one house over in their never ending quest to hurry on.

Time has been spent on pulling out Cleavers and Common Vetch, way too much time, but the two adult Asian Amur Honeysuckle shrubs had to be beheaded and poisoned.  The back garden is so lush, these plants get away from us at times.

Robins and cardinals are chatting away in the garden, and yesterday a Goldfinch was adding it’s two cents worth.  Earlier our tree frog was chirping away with his companion, but we have no pond for egg laying, so I’m not sure where that happens, if at all.

The yellow azalea flowers are aging to a pale cream and burnt orange, as their intoxicating aroma drifts on the breezes ever so often to delight my senses. It is a scent difficult to describe; maybe a cross between cloves and honey, although the old Beeman’s Pepsin Chewing Gum describes it best.

Birdbaths seem to be needing constant refilling, which is a good thing, and sadly to say, the nest box I thought housed a Starling nest, upon inspection, had the beginnings of another type of nest. 

Then I saw it-  at the base of the birdbox pole lay a dead bluebird, most likely killed by the Starlings wanting the same box.  The next hour the Starlings were back, so we put a thick twig into the hole to make the box useless.

With no doubt, this garden is flourishing after the demise of the Green Ash Tree opened much of the space up to sunlight.  Now we have to decide what stays and what can’t. 

Besides the four planters that house Spicebushes, we’ve identified one in the wildflower garden which will stay, but the one in the rain garden will disrupt the dynamics of what is already there by growing too huge for the space.  I's never easy making decisions.

It's so very late, as I have been endlessly researching, then researching again in my quest to buy a mattress.  One of the toughest decision I have made lately, and maybe not the best.  We shall see when it comes and I try it out.  It has layers of different types of Latex and firmness's, so all I can do is hope. 

I sit here this very early morning as the clock hands have just past the midnight hour while Charlotte is snoozing on the cat tree next to me.  She fell asleep waiting for me to finally remember it's way past bedtime. I'm almost ready, but not quite. 

I have no ending for this talk, so it's off to my torture bed, to not have a good night's sleep, or as Vic would say... a good morning's sleep.  Bye,

                                                                                                      Bye.

Always with Love~

Yvonne