Back Again!

    Well, I haven't been here for a bit. Spring came really early- it was almost as if Winter never got here. Our total snow for the entire Winter was less than an inch. That was good for driving, and things got so warm that I've been out on the bike a lot more than in previous years. We've had quite a few summer like days with temperatures in the eighties. What hasn't been good about it is that the snow we get in Winter usually soaks into the ground and keeps things a bit more moist. That barely happened. We've got about a 5" rainfall deficit for this year- but the heavy rains rolling in tonight and tomorrow will help quite a bit.
     Lots of things coming up early in the garden- the Columbine, both cultivated (the blue) and the native (the red/yellow) are in bloom early. The native looked like it was struggling a bit last year, with three small clumps. This year it's looking very healthy and is spreading. There's also a large patch of double Columbine up at the top of the hill that's going to be spectacular this year, when it finally does bloom.
     Various Milkweeds are sprouting here and there in the yard- we have Butterfly Milkweed, Swamp, Purple, Eastern Purple, Common and Indian milkweeds sprouting.  When the Monarchs get here later this year they'll have both nectar to feed on and food plants for the caterpillars.

Click on the pictures for a better view.