The Japanese honeysuckle won the first leaf contest on April 11th. This invasive bush lives on the edges of woods, producing abundant flowers and berries. It competes with the prickly ash for this ecological niche.

The box elders tied the poplar for first trees leafing, which happened yesterday, April 27th.

The Nanny Berries, a type of viburnum, finally showed their leaves as well. They will have big panicles of flowers that turn into clusters of dark berries in the fall. They remind me of dates in flavor and texture. They were Michael’s grandmother’s favorites.

The tree pictured below appears to be leafing out. It is a maple in full blossom!

I saw my first bloodroot, violets, pussytoes and sedge blossoms on April 25th. I’m probably missing the hepatica, which bloom in the deep woods. It has been raining and my knees are not yet stable enough for slippery hillsides.

I am enjoying the flowers I over-crowded last fall. They will never disguise our old LP tank, but they do increase my joy looking in that direction.

All the sprouts give me joy too. The 6 year old travels too fast to capture. The two years olds also demand more attention. The 6 week old has to be held while she is still a peanut. She started cooing today. They grow so quickly. We do not want to encase them in amber, but only to soak in their wonder at this world while we may.