The night before last I awoke to a loud thunderstorm and we got some rain. That was a good thing because it has been a rather dry spring. Unfortunately the warm weather left us. Yesterday remained fairly mild, but the wind came up to the chagrin of cherry-blossom admirers.
Today it was unseasonably cold, in the--brr--40s. I didn't go for a walk at lunch because, while I was wearing a warm suit and had gloves, I neglected to bring a coat. The wind was too fierce for me to want to go out, but my SO and I bundled up and went for a walk in the extending neighborhood tonight before dinner. The Bradford pears are losing their blossoms and beginning to leaf out. A big Bradford pear on our street split and lost some large branches. They're lovely trees but have this major fault as they age.
"Red," the red-bellied woodpecker who regularly visits our yard and suet feeder, is working on the remains of the tall white ash tree and appears to be hollowing out room for a nest. We so hope that he and "Lola" will make it their home this spring. The tree died a few years ago, probably as a result of ash borers, and we had certified arborists take the majority of it down. We left at least 20 feet of trunk as a magnet for wildlife and have not been disappointed. We've seen owls sitting atop it at dusk sometimes.
Speaking of owls, my SO has been seeing and hearing a large pair regularly and recently. We've even heard their hooting during regular daylight hours. We should read up more on them since we thought owls slept during the day.
I stopped at the Stone Bridge yesterday after work on my way to visit my mother at her nursing home. I was wearing heels, but didn't have to walk too far to check on the bluebells there. An impressive stand was in bloom, but I don't think they've peaked yet. I hope to take a long walk there along Bull Run over the weekend with my SO. If it's sunny, the combination with the spring beauties should be stunning. I'll take pictures, but they never do justice to the real life scene.
Speaking of that drive, the small redbuds along Rt. 29 by Conway Robinson Memorial State Forest were so abundant and absolutely stunning. I love those delicate purple blossoms that outline the branches.
The phlox stolonifera along the front walk is blooming well. The local wildflower society, of which I am a member, would like me to share some for the wildflower plant sale in May, but I need to be careful that I don't deplete what I have. Some ajuga has invaded it, and it is more agressive. Nearby the mayapples are popping through the leaf litter. The non-native troutlilies that I have in the front yard are just beginning to bloom and are so lovely in yellow. I love the natives too, but they are not carried much in the nursery trade, and we wouldn't want wild dug plants anyway.
The red and yellow tulips are blooming. I haven't put new bulbs in the ground for a few years, so these are amazingly perennial. I love them be when they are open just a little, but I got some photos of them before work where they are tightly closed as a reaction to the cold morning temperatures.
Even if it's cold, at least we have the colors of spring.
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