beauty-filled...

... spring blooming still here in Virginia, when it is over in middle Georgia. I have enjoyed a second spring since arriving last Wednesday morning. Lots of trees that are fully leafed out farther south are still in glorious bloom here. It has been loverly!

The dogwoods are just starting to get past their glorious peak. I have seen so many out in the woods, naturalized, obviously volunteers that are so pretty when all the other trees are bare and you see those drifts of brilliant white blossoms that are so eye-catching as you ride along. Others that have been planted around homes, having grown and matured, placed where they are the centerpiece of carefully manicured landscaping.

The redbud trees. Overlooked and nondescript most of the year, simply not noticeable growing out in the forest. Until early spring when every thing else is gray, drab, virtually colorless: then those brilliantly colored tiny little blooms open and put on a fabulous display. Multitudes of wee little lavender blossoms that appear along each branch of the tree. They are actually unusual in that the blooms develop on the twigs and limbs, without any sort of stem between the bark and flowers. Even though the blooming period is long over in middle Georgia, they  have been beautiful out in the wildness of wooded areas her in Virginia.

And - amazingly - still some daffodils blooming. I know there are innumerable varieties, that will put on a show over an extended period of time through many weeks. But the performance of bulb plants has been over for so long farther south, it has been a delight to still see some at their peak here. Most of the ones I have seen, planted in large clumps for best visual impact have been palest yellow, with heads gently nodding in the breeze. Along with some sort of brightly blooming ground cover that is likely Thrift, creeping along in lavender and white. Planted to prevent erosion on the steeply sloped verge of a driveway in an effort to retain soil, where it is turned loose to grow unhindered and be more attractive from year to year.

Then there are the hardwoods. I have sat here in the sun room at the breakfast table over recent days and seen the deciduous trees begin to leaf out. With rain over the weekend and warming sunshine each day, you can almost see them growing. Putting out the lime green wee leaves that will mature over the coming weeks to make create a thickly shaded slope behind the house, down toward the creek running through the slough. Knowing it will eventually become so dense the neighbors' homes will disappear from sight.

It is delightfully entertaining to sit here and observe cardinals and blue jays flitting through trees, with their amazing navigational skills that allow them to avoid  crashing.  See them scatter leaf mulch as they unearth tasty tidbits. Watch the squirrels optimistically visiting the (empty) bird feeder each morning,eternally hopeful of raiding the seeds meant to attract feathered friends. And see spring arrive inch by inch, day by day.