Daffodils along the Trinity River – 7th Street Bridge in the background
I noticed this odd little flower among the bunch and immediately thought of Midwestern Plant Girl. Plant Girl…..would you like a shot at explaining this unique genetically altered plant?!
My phlox is small.
I want my phlox to be big like my friend Corey’s phlox. I planted quite a few of these little guys 2 years ago….many of them died off. But a few survived and they come back each year 3 small patches of phlox. That’s it…3 small patches!
My friend Corey’s phlox are huge….they fill his flower beds with mounds of bright colors.
My phlox are small….I want big phlox, just like my friend Corey.
Is it wrong to covet his phlox?
My Small Phlox
My flower bed doesn’t look a lot different from last month. But I’m excited about the changes that are coming.
Right now the grass is still brown and many plants remain dormant. But buds are popping out from the tree branches and signs of Spring are slowly peeking out from the earth.
I was excited today to find a little visitor under the bushes out front. Fortunately for the bunny he chose the front yard instead of the back….he probably heard rumors about the recent demise of one of his relatives at the paws of Sugar.
A friendly visitor
The Autumn Sage is slowly returning to its bushy self.
Autumn Sage
The roses are still a few weeks off…but the leaves are healthy and growing.
Rose Bush
The Texas Red Bud was only a stick when it first came to live in our yard 2 years ago….it looks like this year’s blooms will be beautiful.
Texas Red Bud
The front flower bed still looks pretty bare…but not for long.
The metal dog is surrounded by dormant plants….but soon he will be surrounded by green.
Metal Dog
Thank you for stopping by my changing seasons….if you would like to see more photos from around the world visit Cardinal Guzman’s page and see how the seasons are changing for others.
Spring is popping up all over….
Trinity Trails – Fort Worth TX
I would like to thank Helen from HHC Blog for inviting me to participate in the 5 Day Black & White photo challenge. The rules are simple:
1) post a black & white photo daily for 5 days (probably the reason for the name of the challenge!)
2) Invite someone different to participate each day. (because no one wants to play alone!)
Apparently the person that invited Helen (Lois from On Pets and Prisoners) started this challenge with a photo of water. Helen followed suit. Helen’s second photo was of a Lotus flower. I decided to follow both their leads and went immediately to a photo of a water lily I took last summer while vacationing in Northern Ontario.
Now for rule #2. This actually turned out to be a little more challenging than I expected. So I have taken a little poet license and decided to do an open invitation. So, if any of you would like to join me and Helen in this challenge I would be excited to welcome you to the party!
Water lily – Chub Lake, Northern Ontario
I just learned of this challenge from the blog My Life Lived Full. I’ve debated whether a “changing season” challenge is something I should undertake. Living in Texas several months go by when there seems to be little change in the landscape.
Before I moved to Texas I was told…”The difference between Winter and Summer in Texas is: in the Winter the trees are bare, the grass is brown and the skies are blue. In the Summer the trees have leaves, the grass is brown and the sky is blue!” This explanation has proven to be true. However, there are some differences in the flower beds…so that’s where I’ve decided to focus.
When I first moved to Texas, 16 years ago, an elderly neighbor told me to cut my rose bushes back in February. I have always followed her advice and no matter how far back I cut them they always come back in a grand and beautiful way! So here it is February, the rose bushes are cut back, and I have chosen to share photos of my flower beds for this season changing challenge.
Overview of the backyard flowerbed
Peeking his head out…is it Spring yet?
Knock out roses
It looks so bare in the winter
Autumn Sage
Why bricks around the redbud? A lab named Sugar!
Front flower bed
If you would like to see how others are interpreting this challenge you can find their photos here
“The rules were simple and I’m very glad that a lot of you decided to join the challenge. If you haven’t joined, but feel like joining, it’s not too late. The idea behind it is to get you to shoot often and continuously, to build up your portfolio, get some photographic experience and have fun. This way you’ll capture the changing seasons throughout the year.” Cardinal Guzman
These photos were taken last Spring using my iPhone 5s,
Sugar and I were out walking when she spotted this small patch of flowers. She immediately stopped and started sniffing. Then she sat beside them and smiled. How could I not take pictures when my dog knows enough to stop and smell the flowers!!
The rosemary bush in my front yard is blooming.
The flamingo seems very happy among the blooms!
Crop Duster
Prickly Pear Cactus Flower
A Field of Yellow
Corn Stalk Tassel
Follow this link to learn more about Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge
Sometimes I wonder what beautiful parts of nature we have covered with concrete.
When I see things like this flower growing out of a concrete wall I feel like giving Mother Nature a big hug! Its like she re-created life where it had been destroyed.
Imagine a little seed finding enough soil and water to sprout from the unyielding, lifeless cement. It is a strong little flower, and a reminder of what we destroy each time we “advance” our infrastructure.
Conversations Around the Tree 