lavender

The lavender flowers of a Hosta plant stand before red background blooms.

I like the contrast of the colors.

changing sky

My walk in Odiorne Point State Park yesterday was timed perfectly. The sky was blue decorated with white clouds for much of the time; just before I reached the end the sky changed and I started to hear thunder. I was very lucky; heavy rain started right after I jumped into my car for the drive home.

Interesting... only 23 minutes separated these two photos!

a lily

Lilies have been jumping into my photos lately.

This one, wearing a bit of yellow and ivory, lives in the gardens of Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH. I believe it is a Conca d'Or lily, a hybrid that combines Chinese Trumpet and Oriental lilies.

haze & smoke

Everything is shrouded in haze from wildfires in Ontario Canada. The sky today wore shades of yellow or brown instead of a more normal blue or gray.

This photo is from an afternoon walk in Harold Parker State Forest. It looks wrong to me.

flitter, flutter, butterfly!

Saturday morning I decided to visit the butterflies at the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in South Deerfield, MA. I arrived as the doors opened for the day so I had some almost solo time with the butterflies before many more people decided to visit.

I always enjoy visiting the beautiful butterflies.

More photos can be seen in the gallery flitter, flutter, butterfly! 2026.

starflower

Tiny blue flowers caught my eye as I walked through a garden early this morning.

The flowers wear the name borage (or starflower). A quick search says it is an "edible herb known for its distinct cucumber-like flavor in both its blue flowers and prickly leaves".

rudbeckia hirta

It's the season of black-eyed susans, also known as rudbeckia hirta.

Their sunny yellow petals (sometimes tinged with a bit of reddish brown) create a bright splash of color.

pink

Coneflowers in pink are starting to emerge, a sure sign of summer.

bright

Petunias in a flower box in Portsmouth, NH caught my eye with their bright color.

I love the name of these beautiful flowers. The name? Supertunia® Hoopla™ Vivid Orchid™ Petunia.

ivy

Ivy decorates a brick building in Portsmouth, NH.

photos! 3 gardens

Photos from wanders in three gardens in the Philadelphia area last week are available in the gallery 3 gardens :: 2026. The photos jumped into my camera during visits to Jenkins Arboretum, Chanticleer, and Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

Click here to jump to the gallery.

iris ensata

Just when I think it's the end of iris season I am surprised by elegant Japanese iris blooms.

The petals of this beautiful flower almost appear to be painted.

seed pod

Poppies are beautiful; poppy seed pods are fascinating!

north on Plum Island

This morning felt like a good time for a walk on the beach.

While the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife refuge remains closed for the piping plover nesting season I was able to walk on Plum Island north of the refuge. As always, it was beautiful!

early dahlia

Yesterday's early evening walk in a garden brought me a gift, early dahlias!

I never expect to see these flowers until later in the bloom season; it was a nice surprise.

bearded iris

It's the season for bearded iris, a magical time in the garden.

I have always been fascinated by the intricacy of these flowers.

spring green

Evergreens interspersed with broadleaf trees showing spring green reflect in Field Pond, Harold Parker State Forest.

a poppy

A single poppy poses in late day light.

tree peonies

When I visited Long Hill on Saturday the tree peonies were still in hiding.

I returned today to find an explosion of these beautiful flowers.

rocks and water

Sunshine returned yesterday. I celebrated with a coastal wander, a visit to Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, MA.

It was a good day for a (high tide) walk by the coast.

azalea in pink

As late spring air enters a warming phase, azalea are blooming.

Pale pink is the color of the day!

calm before rain

I headed to Portsmouth, NH very early this morning for a walk before the rain. It was calm, gray, and dry until almost the end.

This was the view from the bridge to Peirce Island.

multicolored

I'm enjoying the colors of tulip season!

These beauties were captured in the gardens of Long Hill in Beverly, MA.

in a garden

Tulips are in bloom, decorating gardens.

solo

A single daffodil stands among green leaves in the gardens of Long Hill. Its corona pops in a bright orange color.

I've found a number of names for this beautiful flower; there may be more. Two that appear to match are Narcissus 'Jacqueline', and Daffodil Barrett Browning.

a tulip

A tulip, opening, brings bright color.

forsythia

Forsythia emerges, painting spring in bright yellow.

early pink

Warming air drew me to Maudslay State Park for a walk this afternoon.

While most of the azalea are not yet showing flowers I was happy to see an early blooming azalea in pink.

yellow

As spring slowly evolves, daffodils in yellow give me a reason to smile.

sunshine

This morning's gray drizzle disappeared, replaced with sun and a bit of warmth.

It was a good afternoon for a walk in Harold Parker State Forest.

to Long Hill

Yesterday was my first spring visit of the year to the gardens of Long Hill in Beverly, MA. I was delighted to see that tiny flowers are starting to emerge.

"Tommy" crocus pops in shades of lavender.

low tide

It was a good day for a low tide walk in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. The beach in the refuge closes next week for the piping plover nesting season so it will be my last walk on the beach there for a while.

I'm sending happy nesting wishes to the birds!

Iris reticulata

As the rain started falling this afternoon I headed to a local church garden to check for early spring flowers. I found dwarf iris in a wonderful shade of blue.

Early spring flowers are truly special.

two

When I walked yesterday I saw crocus just emerging with the flowers tightly closed. Today both crocus and dwarf iris were in full bloom.

Isn't spring wonderful?

mini daffs

I headed to Maudslay State Park yesterday to see if any early spring wildflowers had emerged. I found spring snowflakes, snowdrops, and miniature daffodils.

The daffs were so small that I almost missed the bits of bright yellow scattered across a small hill.

What a wonderful sign of spring!

first flowers

As I walked in the rain this morning I kept my eyes out for early flowers.

I was rewarded with a patch of just opening snowdrops, a sure sign of spring.

photos! spring bulb show at Smith College

Tuesday's visit to the 2025 Spring Bulb Show at the Botanic Garden of Smith College was a delight!

It allowed me to jump forward to spring, to walk through a greenhouse bursting with the bright colors of tulips and daffodils.

Click here to wander through photos in the gallery spring flowers at Smith College :: 2026.

a drive to flowers

Today I headed west to visit the Spring Bulb Show at Smith College in Northampton, MA.

Two greenhouses filled with bright spring flowers - tulips, daffodils, freesia, and more - provided an early view of the season. Delightful!

listen...

Listen... can you hear the music of the ocean?

It was a perfect morning to walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. The boardwalks to the beach were mostly clear; only a few sections of boardwalk were covered with compacted snow and ice.

It felt wonderful to be on the beach, sharing it with a few people and a lot of birds.

melting

The air is warmer, snow is compacting, ice is melting.

I welcome this week's warmer days as a taste of early spring.

ice

Meteorological spring brings mixed conditions. Yesterday the weather wizard brought us 3 inches of snow followed by freezing rain. Today she promises spring-like temperatures.

This morning everything wore a coating of ice.

by the river

Warm(ish) air pulled me close to the coast this afternoon.

It was a good day to walk along the Merrimack River in Newburyport, looking across the water to Plum Island, watching and listening to sea birds.

overnight white

A bit of snow fell last night, decorating tree branches with a layer of white.

on a wall

I approached my volunteer stint at Uncommon Threads by a different direction today. That was lucky; it allowed me to see a new mural on Island Parkside, an apartment building in Lawrence, MA.

Seeing new development in this area is wonderful.

on the coast

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was my afternoon destination today. While the ocean has cleaned the beach below the high tide line, there is a lot of snow in the refuge.

It's beautiful.

snow before cold

It was 19 degrees and snowing as I walked this morning. I'm sure that temperature will seem warm as compared with tomorrow's predicted deep freeze. While the snow continues to fall the light appears to be getting brighter; maybe the sun will break through.

I am very lucky to live next to a small college campus. The roads and sidewalks are kept clear for the students - and, I think, for me!

a pair of Canada Goose resting in the snow

dreaming

Brrr... it's cold outside! I know, it's January and it's supposed to be cold. Even knowing that, I am ready for a bit of warmth and color.

Luckily I received an email from the Botanic Garden of Smith College this week with the dates for the 2026 spring bulb show. It's scheduled for March 7 - 22. That means I only need to get through another month of winter before I can get a quick color and flower fix.

To help with the dream, here is a glimpse of color from last's years show.