Day 42

The sycamore trees are making tiny fuzzy little leaves.

Day 41

This is a bud from something... might be a rhododendron. Found it on the trail at Wissahickon Valley park. I love the red edges and the fringey things around the base.

Day 40

The red maple tree I visited on day 1 now has small red and green shiny leaves. This one is only about 1" wide.

Day 39

These spruce trees are putting out soft, pale green bundles of new needles. They look like the tail of some animal.

Day 38

The tiny little mulberries are starting already. In June (? do I remember that right from last year?) they will be ripe and delicious, and I'll be back to pick and eat these.

Day 37

I don't know what these little yellow flowers are - another of the roadside "weeds". Weeds are so often our friends, with beneficial qualities and their own exquisite beauty.

Day 36

It was windy today. I went for a walk this morning, and maple keys of all sizes were swirling around, twirling to earth. I felt like I was in a sun-filled snowglobe.

Day 35

These small leafy groundcovers are growing all along the side of the road. Just taken at a glance, they don't look like much. But up close, each leaf is delicately edged with red, and they are all intricately lobed, and furry.

Day 34

Raindrops or dewdrops (raindrops in this case) make every thing look different, and prettier. This is the same Astragalus plant from Day 28, but it looks totally different in the rain.

Day 33

Beautiful things can grow out of the most unattractive or nondescript places. Right on the side of the road, surrounded by brown dead grass, I found this tiny daisy.

Day 32

I don't know what this little flower is, but it's exquisite! It's tiny, only about 1/4 inch, and was happily growing in someone's front yard among the blades of grass. Notice the darker veins in the petals, and the little white and yellow center.

Day 31

The saying goes, if you hold a buttercup up to your chin, and it shines yellow, that means you like butter... I'm not sure I believe that, but I do like butter... and buttercups.

Day 30

For Monty Python fans... And now... No. 1... The Larch

Day 29

Big violet blue spikes of these fuzzy flowers are sprouting up on their own in my neighbor's garden. Holdovers from previous years. The bright yellow pollen is shocking!

Day 28

It's funny how sometimes the most pretty flowers are considered to be weeds. For example, this Astragalus flower. Astragalus doesn't have many useful qualities (in fact some species are harmful to livestock); although another common weed featured here a few weeks ago, the humble dandelion, has a plethora of uses, both edible and medicinal.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
― A.A. Milne

Day 27

I went hiking today in Wissahickon Gorge... found this toad practically hidden among the leaves.

Day 26

My neighbor planted hostas in the flowerbed we share. She moved out a few months ago, but left the plants behind. They are all beginning to leaf out, and make spiral designs with their leaves.

Day 25

This red dogwood bud is about to open. It reminds me of the hat worn by Sally Field in The Flying Nun.

Day 24

I don't know what these are, but they are growing in great abundance on the front yard of an old Victorian house downtown. I love the bright yellow center.

Day 23

My neighbor always has a really nice colorful flower garden - with a few tomato plants thrown in as well. She hasn't started her garden yet this year, but these popped up from last year.

Day 22

My favorite wildflower is called Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica). This time of year it grows in great abundance along the edges of woods, in the shade. It's a perennial, so it comes up year after year.

Day 21

I love dogwood trees. One of the houses I lived in growing up had 2 in the front yard. I spent many happy hours sitting in the branches of the white dogwood next to the street.

Day 20

These small prickly seed-balls from the Liquidambar tree are no friend to bare feet - but have an intricate beauty with surprisingly sinuous lines on the spines.

Day 19

I had a great time these past 2 days catching up with an old friend from California who is out here for a visit. We went to Longwood Gardens today. Here is a fabulous hibiscus flower we saw.

Day 18

Everything on this shrub comes in pairs - the leaves are paired up (botanically, this is known as "opposite" leaf arrangement, as opposed to "alternate" when they're not in pairs), and even the flower buds are in pairs. I love the red stem which is slightly fuzzy.

Day 17

I don't know what it is, but I like it. The honey bees like it too.

Day 16

The tulip from Day 5 has opened up. Here is what the center looks like.

Day 15

I bought a thyme plant today, to add to my balcony garden. It smells delicious!

Day 14

These white flowers were growing interspersed with the pink flowers from yesterday. They look a bit like baby's breath - maybe that's what they are. When I cropped and enlarged the photo, it began to look a bit impressionistic...

Day 13

These beautiful pink flowers grow on a bush near the farms behind where I live - across the street from the cherry trees from a previous day. I love the coral pink blossoms.