Sprung ...

.

Spring has, finally!  At least here, in Pennsylvania.

I remember bringing my aunt up here one time.  She had lived in Arizona for years and years, and only visited other places by plane.  We brought her up from Philadelphia by car, and she stared at the scenery.
"Well, what do you think?"
"It's so ... so green.  It's too green!"

That's how it strikes people who live in the Southwest; it's too darn green up here.

This is the time of year when Dogwoods in bloom stand out in delightful contrast to the surrounding greenery, with their distinctive light-colored flowers.  Willows are among the first to get their leaves, an interesting yellow, until a little later in the season.  Now the evergreens are surrounded by leafing deciduous trees.  Here is a photo from my friend's driveway; it's two photos pieced together, to show a variety of trees.

All the way at the left, close to the house is what we believe is a Pennsylvania Hemlock, the official State Tree.  A little to the right, you can see the white flowers of the Dogwoods, at the edge of the lawn.  The tall woody trees near the center are Black Walnuts, that haven't actually started leafing yet.  (I'm told that they're usually the last to get their leaves.)

Right behind my friend and her dog is a Lilac bush, with flowers a deeper shade of purple than the traditional lavender blooms.  Finally, the salmon-colored flowers are on a Japanese Quince bush.  (If I could have got in some Forsythia, we would have the entire spectrum of colors represented in this single view, without the painful contrasts one sees in Conservatories!)

That outdoor grill is making me hungry.  Gotta go.

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