Friday, May 15, 2009

May Bloom Day

Well it's May Bloom Day, and also a busy Friday....so for now I can only post the pictures but I'll add the text later. Happy Bloom Day everyone! :) Okay, I'm back after a week of flu...this first daffodil has a nice big crab spider just inside the pink "trumpet".... ...creeping phlox spreading out more every year and blooming well...

...okay, I'm stuck here. I'm having trouble finding this caterpillar, and I have to go. I'll be back! Well, I'm still trying to ID this fuzzy dude, but for now I'll move on... Update: I finally got an ID! After searching some databases, I emailed the host of this site , and he annswered me right away! He said: "It is one of the Arctiidae (tiger moth) caterpillars, but I do not know species, probably in Lophocampa genus, maybe even a variant of Lophocampa maculata." Cool!
...Nice daffs on a beautiful day! I like to just stick the camera down in front of the flower and see what happens, and this was what happened. :)
Nice red tulip all loaded with pollen...
...and a yellow (not planted next to each other though).


Can you see the black lumps here in the grass?
They're delicious morel mushrooms! I always say I'm going to dry some to eat in the wintertime for a rare treat, but I always end up gobbling down my finds right away (this year was no exception :)
I really enjoy the different daffodil varieties, and someday I'd like to acquire even more!
These windflowers are sooo aptly named, as they show up here and there all over my yard as if carried by the wind (especially since they pop up very far from the originals!)

More cute little species tulips that I just planted a couple years ago, and they seem to be multiplying-yay!
The color on this daff is so vivid, it almost looks like tie dye!

Virginia bluebells just getting started. Guess they are feeling the effects of being so far away from the milder winters in Virginia!
I never get tired of muscari!

First bouquet to bring in the house, there have been three more since. I really enjoy the fragrance in the house, especially in my room when I wake up in the morning!
Very light/white hepatica bloom, despite the fact that "mama" is blue!
Even overly washed out in the bright sun, the daffs are gorgeous...

...and in the shade a yummy shiitake mushroom is growing from the log I innoculated five years ago! I'd need more logs for a continuous supply, but every couple months is more of a "rare treat". (The log doesn't fruit in the winter of course.)
The bloodroot was just getting started...

...but the violets are blooming on and on...
...even the vinca is awake already.
Another nice daff....
...and the blooms on the nanking cherry bushes promise fruits in my future!

For more Bloom Day posts, check out our founder Carol at May Dreams Gardens

16 comments:

MrBrownThumb said...

I did not know wild violets came in white! I have some bluish purples one in my garden but that's it.

Love that crooked shot of the daff, the angle, lines and colors all work. Neat stuff.

Gail said...

Fantastic bloom...and if I am guessing the most beautiful morels i've seen outside of Whole Foods! Happy Bloom Day...and good eating! gail

donna said...

Okay, I'm confused. Did you just have a different post up here....with a snowblower, blue towel, etc. I'll be checking back for the text because I saw some pretty interesting looking photos. Love your bloodroot.

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

What a beautiful set of blooms. I forgot today was GBBD. Didn't do a thing.

Naturegirl said...

Great variety of bulbs blooming!
Enjoy your weekend in your May garden!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Lisa, I love all your colorful blooms. What kind of caterpillar is that, and what's the cute white flower (right after the vase of daffs)? Thanks!

Melody said...

So many spring blooms! Isn't this an exciting time be in the garden? Thanks for sharing.

chuck b. said...

Did you get a new camera? Everything looks so crisp.

Leave it to you to have more interesting fungi and insect life than flowers! But the flowers look good too--you've got that whole spring thing going on!

That caterpillar seems to have a bright light warning system turned on.

Anonymous said...

OMG! It's like the snow melted and everything just POPPED into life!
That's some amazing pics. I had a marvelous 'walk' through your garden! :)
v.

lisa said...

Mr. BrownThumb-Thank you! I actually got that violet from my mom in northern IN, I bet it would grow for you!

Gail-Thank you! Thay were delicious! :) I found three more a few days later.

Donna-That wasn't me...I will add text when I can (I've been home sick, and my dialup is excruciating!)

Deb-Thank you! I've missed a couple Bloom Days myself, this is a busy time of year!

Naturegirl-Thank you! Have a great spring/summer transition yourself! :)


Monica-I will have to get back to you on the caterpillar, the bloom is a white "baby" from my blue hepatica.

Melody-Very exciting, thank you!

Chuck-Same camera, but thank you! I'm really enjoying my "spring explosion"! I think the caterpillar's color is to keep hungry predators away, I'd never seen one that color before.

V-Thank you!

Rurality said...

Nice pics! It's strange to see the bluebells just starting for you, when the leaves have already disappeared here.

lisa said...

Yea, seems like I'm a good month behind most other garden bloggers (except some of the Canadians :)

Colleen Vanderlinden said...

How is it possible that I've gone so long without visiting your blog?? Love all of your spring photos, but the one of the caterpillar is my favorite. Do you get morels in your garden every year? I'd be thrilled to find even one in mine (guess that's a long shot, though)

I'm with you about muscari. I have a lot of it around already and I keep planting more of it. The color is just so vibrant, and we need that after our long winters!

lisa said...

Thank you! It seems I do manage to fine morels somewhere in the yard every year, makes me reluctant to put up a new garage like I wanted to. You can actually buy morel spore here and grow some in your yard. (I'm not sure how well it works, but if they are in your area elsewhere I bet it could be successful.) I never get tired of muscari, and I'm kind of trying to collect different variteies. Our winter seems to be really hanging on, we still have frost warnings almost every night! My tomatoes are NOT happy!

B said...

I'm jealous about the morels too. Seems half the WI blogs I follow find them, but I never do!

It's looking good out there.

lisa said...

I know how you feel...my uncle had a spot in lower Michigan where he used to find them by the BUSHEL! He never would reveal the location, either!