Returning Fullness of Green Bedecked in Bold Orange and Black!

Flower Hill is fully leafed out now and birds are busy nesting in all the trees and shrubs. The serpentine native Black Cherry between the birches is where the Orioles are nesting again.

The cluster plantings of shrubberies is a favorite for many songbirds.

A Baltimore Oriole calling out . . . his unique notations fill the garden. Deep smiles fill my heart for their return.

When not calling or helping his mate, he is busy gleaning here and there from the trees and shrubberies.

It is supposed that only the female weaves the nest, but I have seen on more than one occasion the male helping her out . . . rather like someone holding a skein of yarn for another to make it into a ball.

Weaving their nest almost in the exact location as last year amongst the blooming native Black Cherry blossoms. 'Michael's Tree' is out in an open field and is quite tall . . . just the sort of habitat Baltimore Orioles love.

What a feat! How do they learn to be so skilled in weaving . . . fascinating. The female is leaving to gather more materials no doubt. Her coloring is a bit more yellow orange.

All around these birds the gardens are moving into their purposes. Now the south garden focus of Wisteria, Viburnums and early Lilac blooms is fading into . . .

the weeping Japanese Maple and mid east gardens behind the house and barn studio.

The foliage hue is mirrored throughout this garden. My funky pink English Hawthorn is just fading. 

Miss Kim and the foliage of a Crabapple compliment the cut-leaf Japanese Maple's wine colored leaves. Japanese Tree Lilac in the background will soon be covered with clouds of white blooms. 

Miss Kim and other late blooming Lilacs not quite fully open . . . both were flattened by the heavy winter snow . . . Miss Kim proved the more supple. 

Todays wildlife colors of striking orange and black continue in the American Redstart, who is nesting in the Crabapple orchard. 

They dart about so much spreading their tail and wings to startle insects out from under leaves and such. It is very hard to get a shot like this one! This two year old is smaller than a goldfinch, while the Baltimore Oriole is about the size of a Robin. It takes two years for both males to attain their bold colors. This little fellow can be polygynous finding a second mate once the first is incubating her eggs.

Here the more subtle female . . . note the yellow coloring along her tail, side of breast and wings.

Look how camouflaged she is here.., the female and young are protected in this way. If you would like to hear their songs and learn more about these beautiful birds, visit 'All About Birds' .

To end our orange and black sharing or in this case more brown and red-orange. . .  a Red Admiral is still enjoying the fading Lilac blooms. Their caterpillars prefer to munch on nettle and will bring two leaves together to form an enclosure. I have read that they sometimes fly around at night.  I too love the night garden!

It is a great joy for me that the gardens are a habitat to so many birds and butterflies, though I worry for the flutterbys! I get as excited about their return . . .  as with any flowers I grow.

Lightness of Being Amongst Wings in a Garden

Swirls of wings in French Lilac petals and Tiger Swallowtail butterfly drinking and sipping the light and nectar. Lilac nectar must be delicious heated up.

Oh, luscious French Lilac time is fading . . .  as the light falls elsewhere on smaller more delicate later lilac blooms. These French dripping blooms have been wonderful for so long due to the cooler spring days and frosty nights. Please imagine gently caressing this cluster, while inhaling it's perfume. Utter Joy!

Fully lit and fully blooming Lilacs and Viburnums create delicious air compositions.

Lilac topiary . . . one of several . . . blooms profusely this year.

Now it is time for the Dwarf Korean Lilacs . . .  Miss Kim's delicate florets and fragrance are bathed in light. Her colors are lovely juxtaposed with the striking dwarf Japanese 'Weeping' Maple nearby.

Along the edge of the Crabapple Orchard another dwarf variety or 'Fairy-tale' series aptly named 'Sugar Plum Fairy' begins to open amidst the dappled morning light. Later on the Tree Hydrangea . . .  to her left . . . will be in the spotlight. I must get the foot of the trees de-bishop weeded! 

The Bluebird, English Hawthorns and Japanese Maples all reflect and inhale the dawning light.

Looking through the sun filled English Hawthorn blooms . . . towards the freshly lit Rock Maples and balcony. Now these blooms are spilling their signature fragrance into the gardens.

Here there are many verticals at play in the sunlight. In the case of the apples . . .  the light etches around the limbs and trunks. The Peonies will need staking very soon. Pigments of green absorbing light! Chlorophyll to photosynthesis . . .  a garden is such a laboratory!

Unfurling sunlit leaves of Amsonia begin to reveal or unwrap their gift of starry flowers. They are drenched in early day light . . . every cell must be elated and gulping it in.

Fleeting colors flit through the 'Miss Canada' Lilac shrubs as light dances all around.

Sighting of a male Chestnut-sided Warbler just outside my open window!

His colorful plumes reflect and absorb the light . . . he puffs up to allow the heat within or to keep the coolness of the early morning air out . . . perhaps both. Then again it could be to frighten me!

Here in dappled light near the rock garden . . . I found a female peering around.

When she sensed she was being watched too . . . Oh, how she stretched into that moment of panic! How different they can look! Just like people, when in different moods. Note that she does not have the fullness to her chestnut brown color . . . nor the wide black band by the eyes that her partner has. There are so many warblers returning now and their songs fill the garden, fields and woodland air. I can hear the lovely melody of the Wood Thrush, as I write and see both male and female American Redstarts darting about. The Baltimore Orioles are weaving their nest in the same spot as last year. I can see them flying to and from the native Black Cherry branch while looking at my computer screen . . . well a glance to the left of my screen. I can type without looking at my screen . . . a wonder! A Wild Turkey is just outside . . . I am not leaping up to take it's photo . . . often I see both a male and a female walking around . . . dining on ticks I hope! She is stretching her neck in alarm too . . . poor things . . .  to always have to be on guard.  Here comes a Catbird with a rather large blade of dried something or other for it's nest just across the way in the rose bush. It is quite busy around here with the Tree Swallows dancing in the air and all the birds calling, singing and gathering materials for nesting. 

A magical time of renewal . . . I feel so lucky to be able to witness these returning rituals of light, blooms, plumes, songs and butterflies. That others the world over are merely surviving or struggling in very horrid and difficult situations never escapes my memory. I am very thankful indeed and hope that by sharing this way I may add some joy to other lives . . . to inspire others, as well, to want to be in nature. I call Congress too, but know I should do more towards working for justice.  For fellow gardeners I happily share and enjoy visiting your bountiful and beautiful gardens . . . for we are all so blessed to be able to grow . . . to create our own paradises. To bring our gardens into a virtual world and fly from New England to India, Sweden, England or countless other countries and states within my own in few moments via images and words is another wonder. I am ever thankful for my blogging community! 

Wisteria Hysteria!

This is an old film photo of young 'Tree' Wisteria plantings from nearly twenty years ago. They were to grow like a colonnade along with six others, planted along the top garden entrance. "Were To!" For as often happens . . .  I "meant" to install strong supports, but thought at that time a Wisteria vine might be inclined to grow straight up like a tree and support itself! Alas, its 'vine tendencies' have a strong will. Without support my 'Tree' Wisteria colonnade in several years time began to long for the ground to slowly flow upon in serpentine waves . . .  to climb and cling to anything that might give it a ride. Still I "meant" to get some supports before they fell further. The poor dear vines were too old and thick by then, so as they fell horizontal all began sending up and out runners here and there and everywhere. Of course, I mean to make baskets from the mile long runners I pull up! Be aware if you plant Wisteria . . . it may just become like an octopus in your garden but with far more tentacles than the eight armed mollusk of the sea. Though truly it's delicious dripping chimes of profuse blooms makes it worth the maintenance. This photo shows my pre-Bishop's weed days . . . I tweaked the image a bit in photoshop . . . for a painterly effect I added maybe three additional blooms. I cannot even tell which ones are copies. 

Today my old vines still survive sending out a small wall of blossoms, along with runners that decide at one point here and there to stop and put up new vertical vines/trunks . . .  that I "Will" support and grow as trees! They are exciting to me from the very beginning, when their translucent buds begin to swell and expand.

Even the flowers have a vine tendency. They swing and dance in the air.

Looking down from the balcony.

Just down the stairs looking out towards the top garden . . . standing near the Rock Maple.

Out towards the Mount Holyoke Range . . . not quite a colonnade.

From inside the top garden looking out towards the house and Rock Maple. Each view is weighted down with blooms.

In the distance a runner sprouted a new 'Tree!'

Each little pea-like floret spreads its wings and full sensual chimes hang and sing in the wind. They have the added gift of sweet nectar and perfume and are so delicate to hold . . . a gentle one-hand clap for the excitement of Wisteria.

Boy Bluebird is busy eying for morsels of food.

It was a chilly morning with patches of frost on the ground, when I went out at 6AM. There are many warblers about . . . I will add their portraits in another post . . . wish I could add their songs. The American redstarts are flitting about, I spotted my first Red Admiral sipping Lilac nectar and the Baltimore Orioles are busy weaving their nest! Today I am sharing blues and purples . . . with a bit of rusty orange . . . stay tuned for orange and black! These photos show a few of the blooms from my garden now and as it is nearly May Bloom Day over at Carol's May Dream Gardens I will let this post be my contribution. Hard to believe it is the middle of May already!