Click photo to enlarge.
Every day I seem to find something new to photograph. I saw this lovely pond today. There were honking geese there too, but I wasn’t able to get a photo of them.
Whenever I see a scene like this, I can’t help thinking about Narcissus meeting his end in a setting very much like this one.
I love this time of year so much, and there’s no better place than western North Carolina to see all the small miracles happening every day in Nature’s march toward summer.
I snapped these photos of a flowering dogwood near my home today. Dogwoods–actually a shrub, not a tree–are a common sight in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains and are so well known their beautiful four-petaled white blooms are the North Carolina state flower.
Click the images for more detail. (The closeup is a little blurry–sorry about that).
I went a little crazy with my camera today. Flowers galore and so much color everywhere! The dogwoods are blooming, and most trees are becoming green now. A few trees are showing autumn colors before their chlorophyll kicks in.
It’s also my daughter’s 22nd birthday today. Okay, I know that’s off topic, but I had to say it. 🙂
I remember her psychiatrists and counselors used to say she would be lucky to make it to age 19. Well, she’s still here!
Enjoy this week’s photos. You can click them on to see more detail.
Previous posts in this series:
1. Winter into Spring: March 8th: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/08/winter-into-spring/
The Progression of Spring:
2. March 15th: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/15/the-progression-of-spring-march-15th/
3. March 22nd: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/22/the-progression-of-spring-march-22/
4. March 29th: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/30/the-progression-of-spring-march-29/
5. April 5th: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/04/05/progression-of-spring-april-5th/
Now it’s REALLY starting to look like spring, as these photos show. Even so, the temps got slightly below freezing last night and I had to bring my plants inside. This early, snow is still possible, but not probable, at least not this far south. Many of the ornamental trees that were flowering last week are now bright pale green. The larger trees are just starting to bud, and some are still bare, especially at higher elevations. Living in the mountains, it’s fun to watch Spring progress up the mountainsides. By the end of this month, there should be no more winter-bare trees.
I feel fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the country so close to nature.
Enjoy this week’s photos.
Previous articles in this series:
1. Winter Into Spring: March 8th: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/08/winter-into-spring/
2. The Progression of Spring: March 15: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/15/the-progression-of-spring-march-15th/
3. The Progression of Spring: March 22: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/22/the-progression-of-spring-march-22/
4. The Progression of Spring: March 29: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/30/the-progression-of-spring-march-29/
This week many of the smaller ornamental trees began to bloom. The white “snowball” trees with their bright white blossoms by today were already dropping their petals and giving way to the pale bright green underneath. The cherry blossoms are in full flower and those too are giving way to green leaves. Most of the larger trees are still bare though and only showing hints of color. Those will probably start blooming next month. The grass in my yard could definitely use a mow. It’s getting pretty tall!
Here’s the same scene from earlier weeks, taken in my neighborhood:
See also:
1. Winter Into Spring: March 8th: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/08/winter-into-spring/
2. The Progression of Spring: March 15: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/15/the-progression-of-spring-march-15th/
3. The Progression of Spring: March 22: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/22/the-progression-of-spring-march-22/
Last Sunday I decided to make this a weekly series until it looks like summer again. This is the third post in this series, and this is the week that all of nature seems to be going crazy! There are so many birds chirping and calling I feel like I live in a jungle. Unfortunately, the photos can’t capture the aural delights, only the flowers and trees.
As with the first two posts, these photos were taken around my neighborhood about an hour ago. A week ago none of these trees were flowering yet, although they definitely looked about to.
The weather’s a little on the cool side and somewhat overcast, so not a great day to sit outside but I’ve heard cloudy weather is the best for taking photos because of there is less contrast or chance for overexposure.
Enjoy!
Here are my two previous posts:
March 8th: Winter Into Spring: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/08/winter-into-spring/
March 15th: https://luckyottershaven.com/2015/03/15/the-progression-of-spring-march-15th/
Things sure have changed in two weeks. 🙂
Lucky Otters Haven 