Signs of spring

Spring has arrived in the north, and we are marveling in it’s colors and textures. It is all a great awakening from the cold and quiet of winter. Spring rains have brought green to our grasses, and caused the flowers to open and burst into bloom. The daffodils, magnolias, and crocus are all basking in the warm sunshine. The rains have brought gentle showers and also thunderstorms that roll through quickly and seem to clear in an instant. If we’re fast enough and the conditions are right, they also grace us with wondrous rainbows of color – sometimes even complete double rainbows!

Hints of spring

We are dancing between winter and spring. The calendar says mid-March which can mean any type of weather and conditions, especially since last year at this time we had over two feet of snow on the ground. This year is a much different story with record-breaking high temperatures and no snow, only brown grass and drought conditions. People are taking advantage of our early spring temperatures, and it seems everyone you see outside is smiling as though we’re getting away with something.

The lakes are loosing their ice, the birds are calling, the days are lengthening, and heavy coats, winter boots, gloves and hats are not necessary. I’ve marveled at daffodils and tulips that have pushed up through the ground, certainly a month earlier than usual. But I was stunned to see blooming crocus the other day while I was out walking in our neighborhood. Granted, they were near a wall that could capture the sun’s heat and keep it much warmer than the air temperature, but the crocus were a wonderful welcome to spring’s promise.

Deep down I know we have not turned the page completely as our forecast for the next few days shows a return of more seasonal temperatures and even some snow. But I’ll hold on to the crocus’s promise and know that spring will be here soon.

Blooming bravely before spring

Soon the snow will melt, and soon it will be spring!  We enjoyed a quick vacation to Salt Lake City the past few days.  There were remnants of snow when we arrived, but the sun was warm and the temperatures climbed each day.  Being from snow-bound Minnesota, I was thrilled to see these lovely spring crocus –  fighting off the cold and the snow of winter, bravely blooming and reminding us that spring will conquer winter and we will be surrounded by color once again. Soon.

Spring pastels

My earlier spring photographs have been bright and full of color.  But today’s photo is more of a pastel, with shades of blue and purple.  I was at the spring flower show at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory today.  And just as cloudy and gray as the skies were outside, the flower show was full of colors – blues, pinks, reds, and greens.  It was a wonderful sight and yet the colors were almost too many and too much.  My eye was drawn to this lovely crocus that was stretching skyward and set off by the blue hydrangea behind it.  The subtlety of the colors was wonderful and the bit of orange that the crocus threw skyward was the perfect accent color.  The blues reminded me of the bluest of skies that we can get after a spring rain as well as the lovely blue lakes that grace the landscape here in Minnesota.  So I’m now adding pastels to my palette of colors of springtime.