A Sudden Rush of Color
In the last few years, I’ve become a homebody. I seldom step outside unless I’m up at our camp. We’ve always had gardens, but these last two years, we haven’t been able to get out there, and make that happen. I can actually go for weeks on end without leaving the house
However …
In the last week or so, a sudden rush of color which came pouring in through my windows has enticed me to move beyond my usual confines. The scents and hues … the crisp spring air, all held me captive as soon as I gave in to the urge.
I wanted to share a few of the more captivating sights with you. I only wish I could also share the delicate, intoxicating scents …
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When enlarged, the top right and left of the photo have hidden navigation links that appear when you run your mouse over them.
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These little flowers, called Robin Runaways, are common all along the east coast of the US. They’re probably also seen elsewhere, but I’d have to research that to be certain. These have been greatly magnified. They’re very tiny, delicate little flowers that are often found in shady spots. |
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This is a close up of an apple blossom. The tiny petals seemed impossibly delicate, and the scent was unforgettably sweet. These flowers only grace us in the earliest spring, when the air is still as crisp as their fruit will be. |
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Tiny Violets hide the green grass, humble and demure … willing to allow all of that delicate beauty to be crushed underfoot by any passerby. Ah! Tiny Violet! What a lesson your life could be to those who would listen. |
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Daffodils make me happy. All I need to do is look at their smiling faces, and it makes me happy. Their cheerful countenance is like a promise of summer days and sunshine. |
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Spring in New England means lilacs gracing us with their beauty, and their fragrances filling the air. The odor reaches right into our homes, and draws us out of our winter cocoons, where we stand hesitantly in the warming daylight, and become intoxicated with odors too sweet to describe. These lilacs are “doubles” … each tiny fleurette has double petals. |
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Even tinier and daintier than an apple blossom, these Bartlett Pear blossoms covered our small pear tree this spring. It’s amazing that something that starts out so tiny can produce such a large, tasty fruit. |
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These white lilacs are single petaled, and far more common than the doubles. In spite of that, their fragrance is no less heady, and their blossoms are no less attractive. The scent is surprisingly intense for such a delicate flower. |
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The lowly Lily of the Valley, here dressed in a robe of pink. These are usually white, but my husband’s aunt gave me a few coveted pink roots when I first moved into the farm, and now they grace the base of our hickory tree, intermingling with the violets and the Robin Runaway. These are, in my opinion, the sweetest smelling flowers of all. I even prefer these to roses, although I also have a deep love for those. |
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Violets peep out from between the Robin Runaway. Ah! The things we could see if only stopped to look … |
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These are Asian Pear blossoms, and I saved them for last. This is one of the photos that’s been gracing my desktop for the last couple of weeks. I think that the Asian Pear is the prettiest of all of the fruit blossoms. They were the very first flowers to greet me this spring, and I had to forcibly prevent myself from picking them all to bring them into the house with me. |
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May 22nd, 2007 at 5:20 pm
This must be a great treat for you Moof, after the terrible winter you had.
Lovely photos, thanks for sharing. I can almost smell them
regards
jmb
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:39 pm
JMB, you’re a perceptive person. It’s more than a treat, actually, it’s like the arrival of a long awaited, sorely missed friend. It’s a real balm.
The lilacs are predominant now, but soon it will be the locust trees.
Summer is like a buffet of sweet sights and scents …
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Moof,
I am feeling a bit emotional…lilacs are my favorite flower. They remind me of my Nana. I would go to visit her as a young girl and she had the most beautiful lilac bushes. I would pick bouquets and she would wrap them in foil for me to bring home to my mother. I found their scent intoxicating. I loved those times I would spend at her house. *SIGH*
Anyway, I am sure that the appearance of spring flowers up there in Maine is a surely welcomed sight after the long icy winter, right?
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Pattie, this past winter has been - harsh. I’m only now beginning to feel the sunshine. We had a frost last night … a hard frost. I’m still sitting in front the same kerosene heater I’ve used all winter. So … on some levels, it’s still not really sinking in.
But flowers … and sunlight on spring green leaves … those goes a long way toward making the reality of a gentler season hit home.
Pattie, I wish you could see our lilacs … I remember when I lived down in Atlanta, the bushes they called lilacs were nothing like ours. I really missed them while I was down there too.
{{{ comfort }}}
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Beautiful, Moof. Especially beautiful after the harsh winter. Just goes to show that all things are ever changing, and the bad days will never last… *hug*
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:36 pm
WV, thank you. And you’re right - it’s especially beautiful after the winter we’ve just endured. Summer is all too brief!
{{{ hugs!!! }}}
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:03 am
Moof, I can only envy both the beautiful flowers and the (usual) great photos - but also the fortune to have such flowers in your area. We have some attractive flowers in all parts of the world, but - having lived for some in the northeast, I miss some of the ones you showed.
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:26 am
Moof,
Lovely, captivating pictures with such sweet and endearing comments!
A real breath of fresh air after the gloominess of your worldly winter & the despondence in our blogs.
Thanks for sharing these.
Regards,
Vijay.
PS. And you call me versatile?!
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:19 am
That Robin Runaway is Glechoma hederacea L.; Ground Ivy, native to Europe.
May 24th, 2007 at 3:44 am
Well definately its look great, i had put some of herb’s picture on my blog not only because its related to my work but also i love to see it around, i would also like to share these pics on my webshot
May 24th, 2007 at 6:07 am
I’m happy that you’re able to appreciate the beauty around you. No more dreadful winter. Lovely blooms! :)
May 24th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Wow Moofie, I loved the pictures and added them to my computer as wallpaper and screen saver. I need to get some cuttings from you in the fall.
Lots of love and miss you
May 24th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Hans, and now we finally are getting the warmth to go with it! Thank you, my friend, for your kind comment! {{{ hugs! }}}
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Vijay, I’m learning versatility from my friends … because I know some wonderfully versatile, intelligent people! (even if they do lose at chess, occasionally! ;o)
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Ed! Thank you for that information! Are you a botanist?
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Adam, thank you for visiting, and thank you for your comment. What is it that you do for work?
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Ipanema, so many people have commented about the horrible winter I had. I must have whined about it even more than I thought I had! *LOL* It does get awfully cold in Maine … and I’m an awful chilly willy. I think I’ll have to rein in my whimpering next year, though … ;o)
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Barbara, my friend, thank you. I miss you and Ken and Brad too. I don’t get out much anymore. I don’t even think I’m going to the Lebanese Hafli this year. I’ll gladly give you some cutting in the fall, my dear … just tell me what you’d like, OK? HUGS to the both of you!
May 25th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Hello, Moof, Your photos are just scrumptious!! You apparently
grow lots of things we could never grow here in Texas. Wonderful that it has finally gotten warm enough there for all this stuff to bloom.
I would download all these into “My Pictures” if I knew how to do
so.
I know what you mean by not getting out much anymore. I do get out
of the house - the outdoors in spring is to me like water to a
thirsty soul, but I often do not leave out place for a whole week
or more at a time. Isn’t nature the best and the worst at times?
Here’s hoping your weather stays lovely for you for awhile. Nora
May 26th, 2007 at 7:48 am
How beautiful this post is Moof. It is a balm. I clicked on here and felt some tension just ease off of me. So nice to see such gentle beauty. I just love your photos.
May 26th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Beautiful!!
May 29th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
No, no botanist, just curious. I recognized it as a common weed in Connecticut, but didn’t know remember a name. A few minutes Googling showed your name Robin Runaway attached to the familiar plant, pointing to the Linnean name seemed a reasonable thing.
May 30th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
These blooms are so lovely!
May 31st, 2007 at 9:36 am
Absolutely beautiful! Makes it hard to stay inside & see patients.
June 1st, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Gorgeous! thanks for sharing these. glad you’re enjoying your spring!
June 1st, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Moof,
What lovely photos! Thanks for the inspiration…
You’ve inspired me to post some of my own…now if I can just figure out how to do it…
Dr. Smak
June 7th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Great shots, very nice blog here!
June 20th, 2007 at 5:41 am
Hi moof! Loved those pics of flowers. Did you take these? Thank you for the thoughts strung to these.
You have a heart for everyone and everything your hands find. A blessing indeed. Thank you.