Friday open thread: flower report

[dolorosa_12]

I walked to the swimming pool this morning accompanied by a dawn chorus of birdsong: wood pigeons, sparrows, and blackbirds. When I emerged for the return journey, Ely was shrouded in misty rain, and the cathedral was disappearing into the sky.

Everywhere there are signs of spring.

Today's open thread is, quite simply: what are the flowers like where you are? Here, we've got cherry and plum blossom, daffodil bulbs emerging from the soil, flowering rosemary, and buds just starting to appear on one of the quince trees. Here's a photoset I put up on Instagram.

Please feel free to share photos or descriptions of your own floral scenery in the comments. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, flowers are probably going to be harder to come by, so instead: what is the plant life doing as things turn autumnal?

Comments

[el_staplador]

I'm on the Isle of Wight today, as I have been every couple of weeks since my father died, and the big difference compared to a fortnight ago is the daffodils. All over the place: gardens, roadsides, around the bases of trees.

There are still snowdrops out, and I saw a bit of gorse in the hedgerows too. It's very heartening.

(Back in Ely, our neighbours' plum tree is in blossom, but ours isn't yet. It must be a different variety.)

[dolorosa_12]

Oh wow, that sounds so lovely! There are plenty of daffodils out in Ely now — I saw a bunch in various different gardens as I was wandering around.

Gorse and snowdrops are such beautiful flowers!

[falena]

Oooh, open thread has come back with a bang. I mean, this is such a great prompt. I'm going to try and go out when everyone is asleep tomorrow morning and snap some pics. Thanks for the idea!

[dolorosa_12]

After a week of constant, terrified doomscrolling which I seem unable to put a lid on, I needed to come up with an open thread topic that was mentally undemanding for me (and hopefully everyone else). The fact that I get beautiful pictures of flowers is an added bonus!

I look forward to seeing your pics tomorrow.

[falena]

Done!

[dolorosa_12]

Lovely!

[shadaras]

After the snowstorm last week, the ground here is still covered in snow! Occasionally I'll see little determined buds of new growth on trees, but no flowers yet. :)

[dolorosa_12]

Oh wow, such a different climate — but even amid all that snow, you've got signs of spring as well!

[pauraque]

Here in the northeast US it's still full-on snow-covered winter with not a flower or leaf in sight!

[dolorosa_12]

Oh wow, you're still very much in the grips of winter!

[blackcatofmisery]

I live in the upper American Midwest, and spring hasn't yet shown itself here except in the melting snow and growing puddles. Our first spring flowers are usually tulips and daffodils and cherry blossoms. Snowdrops, lily of the valley (one of my dad's favorites; they're spreading more and more every year), various blue flowers I never know the name of but enjoy... (I think one looks like potato flowers, but it's too early.) Pretty typical. Lilac comes later, which is one of my absolute favorites. We just got six inches of snow last week, so things aren't very nice looking outside, yet.

=^..^=~

[dolorosa_12]

Oh, all those flowers sound so lovely! It's so interesting that I'm actually further north than you, but with such a milder climate. We only had a single day of snow this winter, and it melted after an hour or so, and for much of the winter I've been going around without any coat or scarf.

Melting snow is definitely a sign of a change in the seasons, though.

[blackcatofmisery]

We get actual winter weather and temperatures, even if we don't get snow until later in the season. I will see people without a jacket or wearing shorts, and I just cannot imagine what went through their minds as they left the house that they'd dress the way they did. I get chilled just looking at them.

It's nice today, though. Above freezing, no wind, clear skies. A marked difference.

[sophia_sol]

Flowers are still a long way off in my area; the ground is frozen solid and completely covered with snow and ice! The flowers in your pictures are lovely though, and I look forward to the time when we have such things too.

So far the signs of spring I'm clinging to are things like how the sun feels warm even though the air is still frigid, and the canada goose migration is in full swing, and I've heard that the red-wing blackbirds are on their way back even if I haven't seen any yet.

[dolorosa_12]

What lovely signs of the turn in the seasons — I love noticing things like migrating birds.

I hope spring, when it comes your way, is full of beautiful flowers.

[lirazel]

The daffodils are blooming, and I am anticipating the tulips coming up soon! And then the blossoming trees! I'm so happy spring is coming!

I have to say: I really miss the snowdrops I got to see in Wales. I really fell in love with them, and we just don't have them here. We also don't have bluebells, which is tragic. Those are the two flowers I definitely miss the most.

[dolorosa_12]

We had snowdrops at our old rental place (where we lived for eight years before buying this house in 2021), and I miss having them — I should plant some this year. Bluebells are also gorgeous — you have good taste in British flowers!

Daffodils and tulips are such a lovely sign of spring, and it must be wonderful to be surrounded by so many blossoming trees!

[lirazel]

Spring here is really gorgeous! Especially once all the trees turn green.

[lirazel]

Oh, I forgot to wax poetic about tulip magnolias! And I feel so bad about it that I had to come back to the post to give them a shout-out!

[dolorosa_12]

I love magnolias!

[silveredeye]

The snow has mostly melted here, but the temperature is still dropping below zero at night, so no flowers yet. But the ground looks surprisingly green on the most sun-facing spots. I should go and check whether it's grass or like, adventurous moss on the ground.

[dolorosa_12]

How nice to have those early signs of growth, and spring!

[likeadeuce]

Not too many blooms here in Virginia yet, but daffodils are peeking out and my brother posted pics of his 3 year old walking along and pointing out every one, saying 'Flower go up! And here! And here! Flower go up here too, Daddy!' Very precious as he's starting to comprehend the changing of the seasons

[dolorosa_12]

Awww, that's so cute! How adorable!

[yarnofariadne]

Up north it's still too cold and rainy for anything other than snowdrops, but I work in a beautiful place that I'll hopefully be able to share colourful flower pictures of in a few weeks! ♥

[dolorosa_12]

Oooh, snowdrops! And I look forward to seeing your flower pictures in a few weeks' time.

[regshoe]

I usually go for a walk in the early morning, and the birdsong the last few weeks has been very heartening. Your walk sounds lovely, and those pictures are very nice—I like the rosemary especially!

We've also got blossom and the first few daffodils, and crocuses and snowdrops, and I found a little patch of violets the other day. I'm hoping to visit a local wood this weekend, and perhaps there'll be some good woodland flowers there.

[dolorosa_12]

That sounds so lovely and peaceful. I haven't seen any crocuses here yet, but they are among my favourite flowers, so I hope to see some soon. Enjoy your trip to the wood!

[futurism]

I was born and raised in the Southern Hemisphere so there's always something blooming year round over there, oddly enough what's most common during spring is flower trees, of all things! Namely the Jacaranda, Jasmine, Star Fruit flowers and Flamboyans. Special mention to the Passionfruit flower which even though it's not a tree it has a very vibrant presence to it: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/passionflower.jpg

Spring is beautiful no matter where you are though, and I'm looking to see the cherry blossoms coming spring!

[dolorosa_12]

Oooh, jacaranda! Where I'm from in Australia jacarandas flowering was always a sign that summer was on the way.

Those passionfruit flowers are gorgeous!

[lyr]

Here, we have redbud, Mexican buckeye, and azaleas blooming. It just warmed up this week, though, so I expect there will be many more in the next few days.

[dolorosa_12]

Ooh, that sounds so beautiful!

[chestnut_pod]

What a wonderful question! I love our brief floral spring here.

Wildflowers are brief and intense: monkeyflowers in hot colors, our own special sweet peas for that desert cottage garden, buttercups with that special sleek sheen, the shooting stars I love so much. And the tiny, ephemeral ones: teensy dot-flowered plantains and fringed linanthus and comb seeds about as big as my pinky. Some are going to stick around for a longer time: the ever-elegant western blue-eyed grasses, the various brodias, and the fragrant sages and deerweeds. The lemonade berries and britlebrushes and buckwheats seem to just go on forever. I can even forgive the invasives for a minute when they put out their blooms.

[dolorosa_12]

Oooh, what a beautiful collection of blooming flowers. I feel as if I can almost smell them through the screen.

Silicon Valley, California

[ng_moonmoth]

Essentially no rain for nearly two months, so the hillsides that are generally bright green this time of year are already turning noticeably brown. But we have had daffodils blooming, the ornamental quince that blossoms every year about Chinese New Year time (it's red, which links it nicely to the holiday) went off a couple weeks late, the camellias are occasionally blossoming, and many of the trees in the area are blossoming. Most notably, the apricots in the heritage orchard.

Re: Silicon Valley, California

[dolorosa_12]

Oh how beautiful! It sounds as if you're surrounded by blossoming trees. I'm really sorry to hear about the drought though.

[svgurl]

Nice pics!

I live in a residential neighborhood in California so there are people planting roses, which is what we see the most of. There are a few jacaranda trees nearby too. My parents used to have one in the backyard growing up but the roots spread too close to the house and they had to cut it down. Otherwise, the lack of rain means people are trying to conserve water and less flowers in general.

[dolorosa_12]

Jacarandas are among my favourite trees — how lucky to live among them! I'm sorry to hear about the drought though.