bearded iris

Yesterday I visited flowers in between late afternoon and evening rainstorms. I headed to the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens to see if bearded iris was in bloom.

I've always been fascinated by these intricate flowers.

instruction

In case you're not sure how to open this door, the sign clearly says to push.

almost a painting

A yellow iris stands in a field of green.

It's a photograph that I can also imagine as a painting.

seed pods

Tree peonies move from pristine flower to seed pod pretty quickly. I visited Long Hill Sunday afternoon to see the flowers and returned today to see them in the next stage of life.

photos! 3 gardens

Last week was rainy in southeastern Pennsylvania. Somehow visits to three beautiful gardens fit in between the raindrops. The gardens? Jenkins Arboretum in Devon, Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, and Scott Arboretum on the grounds of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore.

Photos can be seen in the gallery 3 gardens :: 2025.

tree peonies

I headed to Long Hill early this afternoon to see if the tree peonies are in bloom. They are!

Each individual flower doesn't last very long so I'm always happy to catch them in peak bloom. Since I also find the flowers interesting after they have faded I plan to visit again later in the week.

before the rain

Sometimes it makes sense to pay attention to the weather forecast. With a prediction for thunderstorms starting at 11 AM we headed to Valley Forge National Historical Park to walk early enough to almost avoid the rain.

Pre-storm clouds created an interesting sky.

2 days, 2 gardens

We walked in between raindrops, wandered in two gardens. Yesterday we visited Chanticleer Gardens and today was a first visit to the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College.

Both gardens were delightful, providing homes for early spring flowers.

flamingo

I'm always attracted to birds wearing bright feathers.

This flamingo posed for me at the Philadelphia Zoo this morning.

azalea

Azaleas are starting to decorate the landscape with color.

I love the shades of pink in the transition of this bush from bud to flower.