Allegheny Serviceberry

More signs of Spring come along each day! The Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) that we can see from our Master bedroom deck is in bloom, right on time, the last week of March. We've watched this tree bloom annually since the mid-1980's when it was a little 5 foot sapling. It is now about 20 feet, I would guess, and according to the tree book will max out at 40 feet. This is its annual "15 minutes of fame," as it blends into the rest of the trees the rest of the year.

Has Spring Sprung?

Spring has sprung,

The grass has riz,

I wonder where those boidies iz?

Sorry, I don't remember the name of the author of this poem. I heard it (and it stayed with me as a solid meme) in a Poetry class of a continuing ed course for adults at University of Delaware in the mid-1970's. 

Well, the "boidies" have been with us all winter; the grass hasn't "riz" yet here in the mountains, but with the 70 degrees of yesterday, Spring has indeed sprung! See pictures of crocus and daffodils in my rock garden as proof. That temp remains with us today, so now I must leave and go outside!

Springlike

I have faith in the daffodils--and here they come! I can see little green shoots just coming through the mulch. They are somewhat later than in recent years past, probably because this winter has been pretty cold so far. However, it was a springlike day today and I went outside this afternoon to clean off the family room deck and replenish bird feeders.

The little slideshow I've posted shows some of the flora and fauna here at Castle Yonder. If you put your cursor over one of the pictures, it will get larger and take you to my Picasa Gallery of Photos. You can look at the pictures one by one, or click on "Slideshow" on the left hand side of the page and see, what else?--a slideshow!

I snapped some photos yesterday, my first day out since I've been recovered from the bronchitis, with my new Canon camera. I haven't put them on the computer yet, but plan to do that tomorrow. Stay tuned!