Welcome, Spring!

Daffodils, blooming early in my neighborhood this year (February 2016). Always a cheerful sight.

Our 2015-2016 Winter hasn’t been harsh, very little snow, so I won’t complain.

Magnolia blooming at Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

However, that doesn’t stop me for wishing for the flowers of Spring! I’ve already seen daffodils in bloom in the neighborhood, so I’ve gotten part of my wish. Here are some photos of blooms from previous Springs from my travels in different parts of the country.

Wisteria in Bloom at Loose Park Bridge, Kansas City, Missouri.

New Mexico Apple Orchard in Bloom.

Texas Bluebonnets near Tyler, Texas.

Gazebo on Azalea Trail in Tyler, Texas. For more Azalea Trail photos, click on the link below.
https://catherinesherman.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/the-azalea-trail-in-tyler-texas/

The Azalea Trail in Tyler, Texas

A Garden Along the Azalea Trail in Tyler, Texas, in April 2013.

Every spring, Tyler, Texas, bursts into bloom. Like floral fireworks. Everywhere you look are gorgeous flowering shrubs and trees, such as azaleas, dogwoods, redbuds and wisteria, as well as daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs. Tyler celebrates its Spring flowers with its Azalea Trail, which starts in mid-March and runs through the first week of April. In 2013, Tyler celebrated its 54th annual Azalea & Spring Flower Trail.

Tyler doesn’t stop with azaleas. Oh, no. Tyler is also the Rose Capital of America, the location of the Tyler Rose Garden, the nation’s largest municipal rose garden. The city hosts the Annual Texas Rose Festival each October, which I’ve been lucky enough to attend twice — so far.

Tyler is definitely the place to be for floral fanatics!

On the Azalea Trail, there are two marked routes: the Lindsey Trail and the Dobbs Trail, which includes the Azalea National Historic District, established in 2003, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Click on the thumbnail photographs to see full-size photos. The last photo is of Texas Bluebonnets, the Texas State Flower, which are wildflowers that bloom at the same time as the azaleas. Links to the history of and information about the Azalea Trail and the Texas Rose Festival are at the bottom.

About the Tyler Texas, Azalea Trail, including lots of photos.

National Register of Historic Places in Smith County, Texas

About the Texas Rose Festival.

My Blog Post about the Texas Rose Festival.

Apple Blossoms

I took about 300 photos of apple blossoms this weekend.  My favorite shots feature a honey bee like this one.

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year — the week when the crab apples bloom in the neighborhood. The fragrance is heavenly. I nearly swoon. You can hear the thrum of bees as they visit the blossoms. A few wasps and flies joined the party, too. Last year, winter was much colder than usual, and when the apple trees finally bloomed, a big wind storm blew through and knocked all of the blossoms from the trees. This year I’m spending a lot of time smelling the flowers since I got cheated last year.

Happy Spring!

Here's a collage of blooming apple trees (and visiting bees) in my neighborhood. (I originally designed this as a card, but I'm recycling it here.) If only I could insert the fragrance. (Blog-aroma!) It's intoxicating!

Spring officially arrived more than a month ago, but we’re just now getting lovely weather. (We did have one nice day here and there before.) The petals are already falling from the apple trees, but I’m looking forward to a succession of cheerful blooms.   Magnolia, lilac, peonies, iris, lilies…..

Moxey of Middleground explains how spring fever affects many of us in Sometimes My Train of Thought Gets Totally Derailed.  Paula of Locks Park Farm across the pond is side-tracked by the gorgeous spring weather in Devon.  Check out the photos of her adorable new puppy, which she carries in a backpack in Playing Truant.