1 April 2015 - An April Fool for Spring

April. You never know what you will get. Today, the first of the April Fool's Day tricks was that the temperature took a nose dive. Yesterday it hit 78 degrees and combined with the high temps in the 70s for most of the month it made March 2015 the hottest March on record. So far today the high has been 43. That's a bit of a shock to the system. 

But oh my, the yard looks like Spring. 

Every year the hummingbirds arrive when the quince blooms. The quince is in full bloom, but no little birds yet.  

If I'm lucky I actually get a couple pieces of fruit from this very old bush. 

My two crabapple trees are so full of fat flower buds that the color is almost bursting without even being in bloom. 

 When the buds on the left open the flower will be white, faintly tinged in pink, while the buds on the right will open into a darker pink than the buds show.  You can't judge a flower by the bud color. 

Forsythia is providing a cheerful yellow  as are the Oregon Grapes--a plant people either love or hate. Not much neutrality on that plant, but the blooms are so welcome in the spring, they smell great and the little bees need them. 

In the evening when the wind is quiet, their spicy scent can fill your entire yard. Magic. 

When I look across the street I have a beautiful view of a magnolia tree backed up by the ever-so-awful Bradford pears. Okay, the Bradfords are pretty in the spring, but seriously, with so many trees to choose from, why get one that surrounds every shopping mall in America?  Don't you want something that isn't planted by the dozen along the curb of every house in every neighborhood?  Geeze. End of rant. 

Along with the flowering trees, daffodils, hyacinths and myrtle are in full bloom. The tops of lilac bushes have dark purple bud spears poking up around the edges. Cleaned out a flower bed and under the leaves discovered peony shoots seven inches high. All of which make me very happy. 

Surrounded by this Spring beauty, Mother Nature has decided to play her own April Fool's trick. We have the possibility of snow tonight and at least two nights with hard freezes.   Just one more reason to enjoy every minute you get.

April 2nd Update. A skiff of snow and a hard freeze.