Crabby Apples (not really)
Spring’s here . . . and has been for awhile. I first noticed these blooms on February 27th. The tree is a crabapple as near as I can tell. The flowers change after the initial magenta buds open and they’re staying for a long time this year, through wind and cold. These pictures were taken March 5th.
They have the right idea!
It’s always the first tree to bloom but still, this crept up on us. I’d have expected them about late March-April-ish.
Angling in on the Violet
We saw the first violet on February 27th too, but these pictures were taken in early March.
Violets have many tricks
Wild violets are some of my favorites.
Suddenly, more!
First dandelion
First and only dandelion, seen on March 8th. This was in the middle of the road; we don’t usually see them in the woods. We’d love to have more, they’re good for bees!
Visitor bird
To give a sense of what happened on February 10th using very bad pictures, about fifty Cedar Waxwings came for the berries. They were fluttering and tweeting throughout the trees for just one day.
So nice visiting with these birdies!
Two cardinals, a male and a female, showed up later in February. The pictures I took of them were even worse than these, lol. We see flashes of them through the leaves, which are slowly sneaking back. The two cardinals may be nesting, another sign of spring!
Trees in February:
Looking up
Sky antics
Trees in January:
There’s more coming soon!
Your everyday winter pine
Frankie, suave and long-legged
Non-editing cat Franklin. He’s a good kitty boy, he just doesn’t edit.
Water’s up quite a bit!
And, there it goes!
After lots of rain in January, a slight flood with more turbulence than you see in the pictures.
And, don’t tell anyone but I forgot to include this in my last autumn post. Seems like we were just here yesterday, time moves so much faster than I do now:
Busy light
The woods looked like this during that long-ago season that doesn’t even feel distant to me yet:
Spots of brightness in the canopy
Stay tuned, we’re only in the beginning phase of spring and it’s changing fast.
I live near a creek in a forest, in close observation and awe of the wildlife outside, as well as the domestic animals of the household. I'm writer Leah T. Alford. I was "catwoods" on this site Catwoods Porch Party, Itchmo Forums for Cats and Dogs, and a few other sites that may or may not exist now. I have now published a book, and the publisher wanted it called Catwoods. I never expected the book title to be the same as my username, so for now I've changed the username to Leah. For more info, click the "About" button above.
Catwoods Porch Party 
Spring violets and dandelions are among my favorites! And of course, handsome Franklin!
Franklin and I thank you, Lavinia! Those are some of my favorite flowers, too!
Thanks for your continuing interest in, Elm Drive Images, my friend.
My pleasure! Thank you for your cheerful greeting today! I always enjoy Elm Drive Images!
I think Franklin would probably consider himself your muse. 🙂
Franklin says you are spot on, cat9.984! He is indeed the muse in this house!
I love wild violets! There was a spot in the woods when I was a kid where the wild violets grew in large clumps. I wonder if they still do. Your photos are gorgeous,as always.
Thank you so much, Charlotte! I’m wild about the violets, too. Ours have been sparse for awhile but this year they are really taking off!
What kind of filter do you use? Your colors really pop! It’s feels surreal and luxurious at the same time.
I’m happy you like the color, Pam! I’ve been experimenting with a camera setting called “live” with 3 options, neutral to vivid, dark to light, and warm to cool color. When the color is set towards vivid though, it does tend to slow down the shutter speed. I still often bump up the color saturation in photo editing. I’d like to get a more natural look in the pictures but can’t resist the color. It’s really all new to me as I was a painter and mixed media artist. The Fauvists were some of my favorites, lol.
The photos look like paintings so your mediums have transferred well!
Thank you Pam, I appreciate it!
Eddie is gorgeous! Love the coming of spring photos. My favorite though is the “busy light”, love the colors of autumn reflected in the water
Thank you MNL, we appreciate your kind words and are happy you enjoyed the photos! I’m partial to the intense colors of fall myself, while enjoying spring to the max, too.
I agree. Each season has it’s specialness.
Exactly, dear Leah, and I love how changes year around, colours, wild flowers, beautiful they are all. And most lovely and beautiful one of course, Franklin… Have a wonderful Spring days, Thank you, Love, nia
Agree MNL, even winter although it’s my least favorite season!
Yeah, I like looking at winter through the window in a nice warm cafe.
Exactly, dear Leah, and I love how changes year around, colours, wild flowers, beautiful they are all. And most lovely and beautiful one of course, Franklin… Have a wonderful Spring days, Thank you, Love, nia
Hello Nia, it’s nice to see you as I know you are so busy now! Thank you so much, Franklin and I are happy you liked the pictures. All good things to you, Love, Leah
Bravo! Gorgeous photos that made me smile.
Thank you so much, Franklin and I appreciate it! We’re happy you liked the pictures!
What a beautiful collection of pictures. I have never seen a Waxwing!
Thank you Inese, I’m happy you liked the pictures! I’ve seen Waxwings a number of times over the years but not very often. I haven’t seen them since that one day this year. They like berries and once they eat up all the berries in an area they might not come back.
They sometimes visit Ireland in winter, but I have never been lucky to see them 🙂 A gorgeous bird.
I hope you do get to see them sometime, it’s fun to see a flock of them flitting around and chattering through the branches!
Oh I only imagine!
Happy that dandelions have their day! Lovely photos.
Thank you so much! I’m happy that you like the dandelions too!
So exciting to be at the end of winter. We still have snow, but I don’t think it will be around much longer. Hurray for Spring!
I’m excited too Eliza! I do love the arrival of spring! I’m not too fond of winter, although I know it’s necessary and has its own beauties.
Violets are so lovely. Wish I got them. My yard gets flowers that look like little purple bottle brushes. I have no idea what they are, but I don’t have my yard guys come to cut the grass until the flowers fad away. By then the grass is so tall, the guys probably hate me.
Those sound like nice flowers! I don’t know what they are either, but I like anything purple! I know what you mean about cutting the grass and the wildflowers, we get lots of dandelions in town but there’s pressure from the city to keep the grass down, sigh.
Beautiful pictures of a wonderful Season, Leah, and so cute to having Frankie around with his velvet skin ❤ 😻Pawkisses for a Happy Spring🐾😽💞
Awww, Franklin and I thank you Binky! All the warmest wishes for spring going out to you! ❤
Love your spring photos especially the cat photo.
Thanks Crystal, I’m happy you like the pictures! The cat pics are always my favorites, too!
Oh I love your photographs, Leah, so saturated in colour. And Frankie’s adorable (shh don’t tell Sparta Puss I said that) 😉
Thank you Rosie, I’m happy you like the pictures! I so enjoy your drawing and printmaking every day! I was a painter and mixed media artist when younger but can’t do that any more. Hahaha I won’t tell Sparta Puss. And don’t tell Frankie that I think Sparta’s tortie pattern is absolutely gorgeous!
Oh she’s a beauty and she knows it! She’s lying on my desk ‘helping’ me with the keyboard now!
❤
It is about time for spring after the horrible winter. Franklin looks like he is ready for some nice days!
Oh yeah, Franklin’s soaking up the sun, it’s been so long since we’ve had any!
Spring has sprung here too! Your shots are lovely, Leah. My azalea bushes are amazing this year – lots of water and no cold. Love to Franklin.
Oh, I bet those azaleas are pretty, Kerry! Franklin and I thank you! ❤
❤
Again, such gorgeous photos, Leah! Those river/water ones especially remind me of an impressionistic canvas. I was just in Michigan, where we still had a good several inches of snow (even more than that when we first got there) and I couldn’t believe I had a few green shoots from some bulbs (I think daffodils?) I’d planted last year. And then when I got back to Indiana, sure enough some shoots were coming up in my backyard here, too! And the birds! They’re out and about, singing, frolicking. So good to see them again. I guess we’re all ready for springtime. Enough of the cold stuff! 🙂 And that dashing Franklin — what a handsome young fella! Deb
I’m happy you enjoyed the photos, I felt like brightening up the place as the only for this site I ever liked is from autumn, lol. We got some cold temps last night, freezing or just below, so winter’s not done with us either. But try telling that to the birds and buds out there! I enjoyed hearing about what’s happening in your areas of the woods, glad to hear that you have some spring signs too. And hahaha now Franklin’s all puffed up about himself after I read him your comment! Leah
Well, Franklin has a right to puff up 🙂 He’s a good-looking boy! A gray, cold, rainy day here today, but “I’m told” (by meteorologists) that 60’s are coming (so is Christmas, LOL). Yes, those photos are gorgeous! Very bright and colorful! I feel like we all need more brilliant colors these days … bring on the bluebirds, monarch butterflies, redbirds, daffodils, etc.! 🙂
Thanks so much Deb! And oh yeah, I’m ready for the color after drab ole winter! We are still having freezing and just below temps, gah! Though it was mild today.
I keep saying, “C’mon Spring! Hurry up!” LOL
Lovely spring! Wish it would happen here…though I have seen robins and I hear the calls of many birds, it will arrive…but it takes its time, having to wrestle with winter which doens’t want to go away just yet, LOL!
It was freezing or below in most places down my way last night, and will be in the thirties tonight, so winter isn’t done with us either … and we usually have an April freeze or two. But, I see a little more green out there every day!
Beautiful photos! Weather in Bakersfield is sometimes hot, sometimes cold. It is currently one day, seventeen hours, and twenty-nine minutes until the beginning of spring. 🙂
Thanks Cayenne, glad you liked the pictures! That actual spring start date crept up on me this year!
It’s lovely to see spring come again. Violets are such a welcome sight and I do like the cedar waxwings. They are such pretty birds.
I admit, I look for the violets every year, and it was a pleasant surprise to see them so early. I agree, Cedar Waxwings really are beautiful birds!
There’s nothing like a walk in the woods, no matter the season. All the photos are beautiful! 🙂
Thank you Susanne, I’m happy you liked the pictures!
Pretty! Spring is definitely coming! Our weather is swinging back and forth so it’s more like sick season. Can’t wait for it to warm up and go biking 🙂
Thank you! Our weather also alternates between warm and cold, with enough warm days to bring the flowers out early.
Leah, your color skills are always amazing–enchanting, actually. Thank you for the uplift!
Thank you so much Lauren, I appreciate it!
I love dandelion, too! Beautiful pictures!
Thank you so much, I appreciate it! I’m glad you also like dandelions!