Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Signs of Spring

It was a long, long winter. So far we've had two really beautiful weeks of spring weather and I was down for the count during that time. This past week got cold and yucky again. I was in great need of some evidence of spring so I went in search this weekend. Here's what I found around town and in the yard.

Some sort of ornamental tree in my yard.


Azalea bud.


Some tree near the baseball field. (Yeah, I'm a regular botanist. "This specimen is known as Limus Ignoramus Pinkia.")


Bluebells in my yard. (Now watch someone tell me that's not the real name.)


Dogwood (Its bark is worse than its bite. Har har har.)



Forsythia (Mini poll here...do you believe forsythia should be trimmed into some docile shape or allowed to get wild and bushy looking? I favor the wild look, Mr. Lime wants obedient shrubs.)


Fern frond. I had a hard time deciding which fern shot to use. I have another one with multiple fronds looking like they are dancing. This one looks like a "come hither" invitation. That's my mood right now, so that's the one ya get.


Bleeding hearts.



Lilacs



A fine example of Limus Ignoramus Blanca.

43 comments:

James Goodman said...

Yahtzee!!!! :D Take that G-man. :D

James Goodman said...

Those are great pictures, Lime. Things are starting to bloom around here as well. It's about time. I'm sick of the bleak days that are winter. :D

G-Man said...

Ya know Goodman, talented short story writers, and mystery horror guy's, are a dime a dozen!!!

But we are here NOT to banter childishly about who is first where, but to sing the praises and glorify the beautiful photographic artistry of Lime!!!

Nice pics Trini...G

Grrrrrrr....

James Goodman said...

lol, it's true, I see at least one of us on every corner...


but to sing the praises and glorify the beautiful photographic artistry of Lime

Ah, yes... You of course are right. I'm humbled by your wisdom and the truth of which you speak so eloquantly.

On, with the blessing of spring. Thanks, for brighteneing our day with such lovely flora.

lime said...

well boys, i want to thank you. now that my praises have been sung by two such fine gents as yourselves i feel i can begin my day properly. *trips off blithely scattering flower petals (before I trip clumsily over my own feet and land face down in a puddle)

KFarmer said...

LOL!!! Oh my gosh woman, how I love your wit and humor! :)

The pictures are lovely and I'm happy to hear spring has sprung in the north. It's about time, eh?

furiousBall said...

those are flowers... you can't fool me

Cliff said...

Out west,(Ohio) we are enjoying things blooming and greening also. and we will now start having cherry blossom festivals and the like. And if the Keystone state is anything like the Buckeye state in regards to highway repair, some communities off the interstates should have orange barrel festivals.

jillie said...

Oh LIME! You have made me so homesick for the midwest springs. I miss all of those flowering trees. Especially the lilacs. I could fill a house with them. Here...their version hardly has ANY smell and they cost about $15.00 for 3 of them! WTF?????? They grow them in the mountain areas no too far from here. Ohhhh hummm!

I was hoping maybe for a scratch and sniff ;o)

Kat said...

Oh flowers! I can't wait to see flowers! Those pictures are just gorgeous. I always loved bleeding hearts. They are so pretty.
Amazing photos!!!

lime said...

kfarmer, it's about time is right!!!

furiousball, you's a smart one, don't let anyone say otherwise

74wixy, PA has some god awful roads. the potholes are in full bloom as well as the flowers.

jillie, glad i could give yo a lift. i wish i could bottle that lilac smell for you.

kathryn, thanks, so glad you enjoyed the pics:)

Stealth said...

ahh.....spring...

Beautiful pics :)

Anonymous said...

Looks like everything is blooming quite nicely there! Fantastic pics Lime! :D

S said...

OK madam, Im pretty sure the first picture is of apple blossoms...how could you not know that because, after the blossoms comes the APPLES, Sheyeahhhh!!!!
And those bluebells look like what we call lupine over here on the left coast.
Other than that, the rest of them are lovely!

I wish I would have done that when our flowers first came out but the tractor has already wiped out the meadow and the orchard so the flowers are smushed....

Happy Spring Lime~

lime said...

stealth, thank you ma'am:)

bs, it's been a long time coming1

s, well it's some sort of ornamental apple because the tree is tiny and the "fruit"s are only pea sized. as for lupine, these things are only about 3 or 4 inches tall and what we call lupine is about 18 inches tall or more maybe.

Commander Zaius said...

Great pictures, spring sprung here a few weeks ago but I've been so tied up I haven't had a chance to really notice it.

Craver Vii said...

Forsythia. Generally I would go neatly trimmed if it's out front, and free as a bird if it's out back. The most peaceful solution might be to assign spaces. For my home, I have been given supreme reign over the lawn and bushes, but my wife is the indisputable regent of the flowers and vegetables. They have different spaces, and that makes it easy to decide these types of things.

Blooming forsythia indicates the time to spread crabgrass pre-emergent, if you use that.

That last flower: Limus Ignoramus Blanca. Are you saying you don't know what it is?

Reverend Michael Kilgore said...

Ain't PA grand for a few weeks in the spring and fall! Hope you missed me during my hiatis!

EmBee said...

Bee-You-Tee-Full shots Lime!
Who cares what they're called, they're just so pretty to look at... I too am of the school that Forsythia's should be allowed to extend their branches wildly in a profusion of golden-yellow glory.

Anonymous said...

As much as I like things that bloom... in these here parts the volume does act up my allergies. I guess there is a price to pay for beauty, huh?

Cheers!

lime said...

beach bum, now that is a real pity that you have been so busy

craver, very diplomatic and reasonable answer which strikes a nice balance. crab grass pre-emergent? crabgrass would be welcome, we live in the woods so pretty much all we have for a "lawn" is moss and weeds. as for the genus and species, that is the correct name for the plant within the lime botanical taxonomy.

mike, they are lovely. so nice to see you again!

embee, thanks:) i kinda figured you'd be a wild forsythia gal liek me ;)

lecram, you have my full sympathies, as a child my allergies were so horrendous i could barely tolerate being outside at all in spring.

Anonymous said...

Wild and free...always...especially forsythias and azaleas...

Anonymous said...

pretty flowers!!! you know more names and types than I do... oh and anything wild is my vote!! :)

Mother Theresa said...

I love Spring, and those pics are fabulous. What variety you have over there, and quite a talent for getting great shots. :)

Phain said...

i've been driving along i-75 in the south and even though i know they are just weeds, there have been the prettiest ?flowers? all along the shoulders of the highway. the brightest pink and the goldest yellow i've seen in a long time. made that long boring drive a bit more cheerful.

Sheri said...

*clapping hands rapidly together

Pretty! Pretty! Pretty!

Thanks for sharing the aweseom pictures. I wish I could help you out with the names you didn't know.

Rob said...

I am mesmerized by the delicate, soft, pink, petals opening to my intent gaze, their dewy folds beckoning me, their intoxicating fragrance teasing my senses, making me want to taste the sweet nectar...

And, as for "bushy versus neatly trimmed", while there is something primal and untamed about anything growing wild and unkempt, I rather prefer the neatly trimmed look...

Oh, wait a second! This isn't that kind of blog, is it??! Never mind... ;-)

~Tim said...

Great shots!

Fred said...

I like obedient shrubs. I'm also an obsessive weed picker, too.

Loved all the shots...you gave me a few good gardening ideas!

david mcmahon said...

Love the bleeding heart picture. And the fern too - ET fern home, indeed!

San said...

Limus Ignoramus Blanca. An apt name for a stunning beauty!

All of these images dazzle. Love the bluebells. Love the forsythia. Love the dogwood. Spring is late getting here and you're making me salivate for it.

BTExpress said...

I love the Spring. My lilacs are ready to bust out any day.

(M)ary said...

great pictures! the lilacs are already blooming? my lilac bush is like the little engine that could! it has small purple sprouts but that is about it.

SignGurl said...

Those are breathtaking pictures!

Loraine said...

Beautiful. I thought I was the only crazy person walking around taking pictures of people's plants.

lime said...

cooper, rock on, i knew i could count on you.

solitaire, you mean there is someone who knows LESS than ME about plants?

theresa, thank you. i'd love to see what you've got blooming in spain!

phain, highway beautification, thank you ladybird johnson!

sheri, no worries on the names, as you see i just make up names for the ones i don't know

rob, i'm suddenly feeling a bit mesmerized myself....

tim, thankee:)

fred, oooh, show me what you do with those ideas

david, can i make a collect fern call for more photography tips?

san, i woudl have thought spring had sprung long ago in your part of the world. glad to dazzle you though:)

btexpress, that's a sure sign!

m, yep, just in the past week the lilacs have come out

signgurl, thanks :)

intracerebral, you're not alone. i take pictures of even weirder things than this. bugs, doorknobs, rocks, treee bark...

jillie said...

Just had to look at those flowers again!

Moosekahl said...

Wow! You are way ahead of us here. My hydrageas are just starting to unfurl some leaves, nothing even near flowers yet. i love the fern picture too! Sweetness. Thanks for the little ray of spring.

Maggie May said...

They are beautiful & Spring is definitely in the air.
The hyacinths are Grape hyacinths & spread like fury. They are all so pretty. Great pictures.

Daryl said...

Just beautiful ..

:-Daryl

Unknown said...

The bluebells look like grape hythicents...lupines have white on top of the bloom. I'll be these are about 5-8 inches tall and have a sweet smell somewhat like the scent of violets.

tsduff said...

How on EARTH did I miss this post? WOW, you have a way with a camera! Love those beauties - I have lilacs in my yard and although they didn't have many, their blooms were sweet.

Cath said...

Beautiful flowers! Lots of lovely flowers! Love them. Love the names of some of them too!

The fern is a fantastic shot. Really good. And Seventh Sister is right - the bluebells are the grape hyacinth bluebell. (So you are right too - they are still bluebells!)