Tree of Life

It's a new awakening a new beginning.
Each flower seems so special you can really contemplate
them individually!

As I look up each branch is a cheerful lavish spectacle!

cherry- Japanese Flowering
or is it a crabapple

A symbol of Spring life and beauty!

My daughter looks out at this tree in her garden in her new house
as she waits to give birth to her first child
*due next week!
I call it the Tree of Life!

Take time this weekend to enjoy life and see the beauty
that surrounds you!

"New beauty meets us at every step in all our wanderings."
John Muir

Shy Bells

Sunshine reaches the Lily of the Valley
beneath the trees and shy little bells peep out..
filling the air with their sweet fragrance!

Babie
Each day as the weather becomes a bit warmer my
garden is bursting into life!
Another shy Belle peeps out from her hiding place.

*Cat Rule: cats allowed out in the garden only when naturegirl
is tending the garden and keeping a watchful eye on her felines.
Otherwise they stay indoors.

"All change is a miracle to contemplate,
but it is a miracle
which is taking place every second."
Henry David Thoreau

My Companions

Babie
Ideal companions, I reach out and touch
their irresistible charm..

Paisley
whose role is perhaps to remind me
of life's sweetness!

Joy in it's simplest form

Soul and Tears

Soul & Tears
*her self portrait by Laurel Burch
~
"The Soul would have no Rainbow if
the eyes had no tears"
~
I dedicate this post to Judie
who is a passionate
artist, environmentalist, exotic bird lover
and generous friend whom I met through blogging.
Her expression of Nature
particularly parrots using brilliant & vibrant color
always captivates me.
The harsh reality of loss brings acute grief and
an overwhelming pain to Judie
Go here to read more
I ask that you hold Judie and her family
in your prayers.

Greeting Friends

I am greeting old friends after a
long winter separation

Paisley & I enter the still mostly bare garden

a lone dove waiting

Maggie is that you nibbling
~
*clicking on highlighted links you will
see more visiting nature friends

The buds of the Columbine concealing
their faces and Bunny's bow still looking
~ tres chic~
after a severe winter with so much snow

Alvin has returned or is that Chipper!
~
"Good friends are like stars you don't always see
them but you know they are always there."

Spring Begins Here!

Spring warmly welcoming back a choir of
chirping from the Robin!

Spring a time to take gardening tools
out of storage.. also remembering the
time little feet were painted on the floor..

"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the
soil is to forget ourselves"
Mahatma Gandhi
~
The real gardening work begins in Spring..
time to get down on our knees and get dirty
cleaning away debris left over from winter...
time to tidy up and watch as my garden awakes.

time to check for signs of new life..
the first green shoots emerge from the Hostas!

after slumbering through winter
the lily of the valley
are beginning to Spring into action!

A new beginning a new gardening season awaits!

Self Expression

A forgotten onion in the darkness of
a warm bin knows only the urge
to express itself.

A Supreme Symbol

~Saguaro Cactus Blossom~
Arizona state flower
~
From late April to June hundreds of
these heavenly scented flowers
on the *top of the mighty Saguaro cactus
bloom just several at a time.
*important to note: photo taken early evening

The flower opens only at night and closes
during heat of the day as seen in the photo.
Many of the blossoms will become pollinated
and later become a red fruit enjoyed
by many birds!

In last years post seen here,
I was unable to capture images of
the Saguaro blossom
because my camera did not have as powerful a
zoom lens as my new Olympus camera so I am
thrilled to have captured these images
with my 18x optical zoom!

Saguaro Cactus

Known as the supreme symbol of the South West
and as a plant with personality!
I loved this one.. the dancing Saguaro!
*I've posted more facts about the Saguaro here
~
I have so many more photos to share with you
taken while I spent my winter in Arizona!
Periodically I will post these images in between
photos of my personal garden space and my
nature world
as I see it through the lens of my camera.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit"
Edward Abbey

For Mother with Love

A mother understands what a child
does not say

"The mother's heart is a child's schoolroom"
Henry W. Beecher
~~
To mothers and grandmothers:
May your joys be as bright as the morning..
Happy Mothers Day!
~
*the precious hands are of my grandchildren taken while
I visited them in Arizona recently.

A Welcome Greeting

Trillium
Ontario's provincial flower.. a protected plant.
One must obtain an appropriate collection permit
to pick one.

We crossed the border into Canada and
along the highway the Trilliums adorn the
woodland floor with their splendor..
They grow in shady damp forest floor soils in
early Spring!
Truly a Welcome Home greeting from Mother Nature!

The Grand Canyon

Experiencing the depth of nature in all its grandeur..

*A MUST TO ENLARGE ALL PHOTOS!

The Grand Canyon!

One of the seven natural wonders of the world!

The Grand Canyon is about 6 million yrs. old,

277 miles long, an average of 10 miles wide & 1 mile deep!

Standing next to this spectacular sight that holds a beauty

beyond description I listen to the silence..

and experience a heightened sense of peace and quiet awe.

The Canyon comes alive in a complex pattern of light

and texture!

I'm thinking how small humans are in the grand scheme

of the earths natural wonders!

*X marks the spot above ... see below

Colorado River

offers visitors white water river rafting or boating

*a closer look using my zoom lens..

A closer look down the Grand Canyon..

many have hiked the trails or taken mule rides.

There is also a Ranch below that provides thrilling adventures.

Natureboy and girl

The grand finale post from our 2 month stay in Arizona.

This morning with temperatures in the high 70's we began our road trip

back home to Canada.

Eight hrs. later we have reached Santa Fe New Mexico with

temperatures in the low 40's ...brrr!

All good things must come to and end. It's time to get back to reality

and our Canadian Spring garden waking up from a severe winter.

The time spent visiting our son and his family in the Scottsdale area,

the many adventures we had and the multitude of photo opportunities..

some I shared with you in the last 24 posts; contributed to a feeling of ..

joy, healing, renewal, peace, happiness and love!

Many of you regularly stopped by & made comments and

I am grateful to you all. I feel fortunate to have so many friends

who share a love to be close to nature!

Arizona and Spring in the desert offers a visual treat and I highly recommend

that you visit!

See you in about a week..

hugs Naturegirl

"It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth

and in contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility."

Rachel Carson