After a week of unseasonably warm weather spring has arrived in the northeast corner of Washington State. It is such a joy to see the flowers beginning to bloom so on my daily walk I took a few photos.
 |
| Pend Oreille County Cherry tree in bloom 4-15-2016 |
The most obvious blooms are the cherry trees which are eagerly being visited by numerous pollinating insects including some gigantic bumblebees. Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture a good photo of one.
 |
| Rhododendron PJM |
The PJM rhododendrons I moved from my old home in Western Washington have survived the trauma of being transplanted to a more extreme climate and are starting to bloom. Looking past what I have planted, I start looking for native plants in the wilder areas,
 |
| Mahonia repens |
I detected a mild, lovely fragrance and followed my nose to find one of my favorite natives, Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens) is starting to bloom.
 |
| Dandelion |
Although dandelions are often disdained, I enjoy their cheery yellow blooms which are also appreciated by the bees.
 |
| Violet (Viola adunca) Pend Oreille County, WA |
While kneeling to photograph the dandelion, I noticed a tiny speck of blue a few feet away and a closer look reveals the first wild violet I've seen blooming this year.
 |
| Wild strawberry Pend Oreille County, WA |
Looking closely, there are also numerous tiny wild strawberry blossoms. After my brief survey of my garden area, I returned to my sun room inside the house to find the first of this year's blossoms of my Meyer lemon has opened.
 |
| Meyer Lemon Blossom |
What is blooming in your garden today? Be sure to visit May Dreams Gardens to see the other gardens this month.
