Grape hyacinths raise their glory while mason bees respond. The first was a lovely golden daffodil missed by me, but not by Little Miss. The old robin from three years ago fell right into duty as I began digging dirt waiting for his delicious grub worms I toss aside.

Yesterday: Three baby bunnies no longer than my hand foraged on the new sprigs of green. They've been living right under the shed near the rabbit hutch and eating the alfalfa pellets all winter. Okay, the're cute .. for now....

Sounds beautiful Dawn

We're not as far along, of course. The early daffs are at their peak, the hyacinths are just starting. The redbuds just barely showing color. The almond always blooms first and is in full bloom right now; with 24 degrees last night probably won't be almonds this year. The henbit on the south and west side of the greenhouse is in full bloom. Glenn wanted to cut it, but I talked him into leaving it for the bees--and haven't seen a bee yet. The little wild pansies and violets are starting to bloom in sheltered places. I have heard spring peepers in our pond on warm days and nights for a couple weeks. The fescue is starting to grow; it's almost time to mow. No grasshoppers here yet.

Dawn, boy are you right about the weed growth! I've been pulling weeds from one of the beds for a week now, and they keep coming up. We all know it's a never ending job, right?

Henbit, Speedwell (blue flowers), Spring Beauties, Dandelions, and another white flowering weed have been blooming for a few days now. The early Daffs, as you said, are gone, and the mid-season Daffs are blooming like crazy. They had a nice cold winter to spur their growth this spring. The Redbuds are just bursting to flower now, and the pears are done. The Malva zebrinas are growing now, as well as the Rue. The Centaurea Montana Blue and Silene - pink flowering) are putting out new growth, and spreading at that. I see green leaves emerging on the Lavender Munstead, Rosemary, and Fennel. The fall Asters are popping up everywhere - I'll have to do some judicious pulling there. The Monarda is up about 1".. I see no signs yet of the Butterfly Bush and pray that it made it thru it's first winter. The Phlox x 'Wanda' is greening up and should put on a nice show the middle to latter of April.

I have lettuce sprouting, but no sign of the snap peas. I may not get much of that if it turns hot too quickly - assuming they even come up. I did plant quite a lot of it to climb up the fence in the backyard - we'll see.

Don't have any violets blooming yet.

Birds are singing like crazy, woodpeckers are rat-a-tat-tatting on the trees, and bird love is in the air.

I hope everyone has a lovely spring!

Susan

Dorothy, Tim simply had to cut the lawn yesterday because it was getting too tall, so off went the heads of the henbit, but I bet the plants regrow and are blooming by next week. Anyhow, there are blooming henbit plants everywhere now---in parts of the garden where I haven't planted anything yet, in the pastures, and in the yard of each and every neighbor!

Susan, So far, it seems like everything here has made it through the winter. I was worried because we had such cold weather and it was so prolonged at times. I hope your butterfly bush made it through the winter.

Y'all, I came back to add an important note: the rattlesnakes are out and about here. Consider that my public service announcement for the day. Nothing takes the fun out of spring like the emergence of the venomous snakes. Henceforth, I have to be more careful about watching where I step, and especially about watching where I put my hands. Garden prep work, for me, is accomplished so much more easily in winter and early spring before the snakes come out. Now, the good times are all done, and I am back to having to be extra careful all the time when I am in the garden.

Dawn

Thanks for the snake warning Dawn. at the end of last year I found a snake skin in the garden. I hope its the same one the neighbor found and relocated. I have no desire to ever see one in my yard. My grandboy is built too close to the ground and granny would probably kill herself trying to save him LOL
on a spring note I have been seeing lots of birds including my first cardinal in the garden from my kitchen window. Since I abandoned the garden last summer the birds have moved in to clean up the seed and I leave a bucket of water for them which they seem to appreciate.

kim

You're welcome. A friend warned me a couple of weeks ago about snakes being out SE of us in TX, but now they are out here as well. It seems early to me, but we have had some days with highs in the mid to upper-80s, so of course the snakes are eager to come out and warm up and find something to eat. This is not the earliest snakes have been out here. I had a rather unpleasant encounter with a pygmy rattler in the woods around March 3rd about a decade ago.

I'm glad you're seeing birds. They will repay your kindness by eating tons of bugs for you. Birds are wonderful garden helpers, and are great companions. Sometimes when I am working in the garden, I'll look up and there will be a row of birds sitting atop the garden fence, just watching me work. It always cracks me up to see a lineup something like this: Cardinal, cardinal, sparrow, mourning dove, hummingbird. I always wonder if the hummer realizes how tiny he is compared to the others.

Haha I doubt the hummer realizes it, he is probably just like the Chihuahua standing next to the great dane!

I enjoy my birds and was really excited to see more of them moving in here. Word must have gotten around about the water. Out here it is hard to come by.
My sister in Denton tries to run the birds out of her garden and I have tried to explain their benefits to her but all she sees is holes in her tomatoes and berries.
kim

I have a double weeping ornamental peach tree in my backyard that is the first to bloom every year. It throws beautiful deep pink blossoms and always brings a smile to my face at the thought that winter just might actually go away. Yesterday was my first official smile of spring.

Kim, I wish you could convince your sister that if she had a birdbath or shallow, flat pan of water for the birds, they'd likely leave her tomatoes alone. With berries, all that works for me is to suspend bird netting over them so the birds cannot physically reach the berries. Or, sometimes a person can trick the birds by hanging red Christmas ornaments on the tomato plants a short while (maybe a few days to a week) before the fruit begins to color up. The birds will peck repeatedly at the Christmas ornaments, will get disgusted and will go away, and usually will leave the ripe tomatoes alone because they've already learned that the red things on those plants aren't tasty.

Carsonsmimi, I bet that is a beautiful tree, and I am glad you've had the first official smile of spring now. We have so many fruit trees and ornamental trees in bloom now, that the trees drop flower petals down onto the ground all day. It looks like snow, in shade of white, pink and lilac. I wish the spring-blooming trees would stay in bloom for a longer period of time.

Dawn

The biggest sign of spring at my house is my yard full of weeds, although the birds have been nice to hear and see. Right now my yard is sea of green, purple and yellow from the clovers, henbits, dandelions and other weeds I cannot identify. On the bright side, I have the most colorful yard on the block.

It's a work in process. I'm trying to learn how to do organic lawn care, so I'm willing to tolerate the weeds. My husband doesn't understand why I don't just spread a weed and feed and be over it.

Cynthia

Dawn that is a great idea about the ornaments. ! I am going to text her right now so I don't forget. I know she has several bird baths but they are not near the tomato area.

The trick about the red ornament reminded me when my oldest son was one year old he bit into one and wouldn't touch anything red and round for quite a while.
kim

Cynthia, It is Weedville here now too. It is amazing how fast they grow after they sprout.

The reason you don't just spread a weed and feed and get it over and done is because you are trying to do what is best for the environment!

Kim, That is hysterical.

Our latest signs of spring observed today: a bunch of freshly hatched grasshoppers about 1/8 to 1/4" long, a cranefly in the greenhouse, a mosquito in the garden, butterflies everywhere, and small cabbage white butterflies flying around plotting the demise of my cabbage and broccoli plants. Oh, and one small May beetle/June bug who drowned in a bucket of water. That's what he gets for trying to be a March beetle.

Today I saw the wild garlic/wild onions blooming down near the mailbox. That's the first ones I've seen this year.

Dawn