The hawk returns

I looked out the bedroom window and saw this character watching the pond. I think it is the same hawk that was catching frogs last year. I wanted to get a closer look so I crept out the front door and snuck around the house. I hoped he wouldn't see me until I was close enough to get a good picture.
But when I tiptoed around the spruce tree the branch was bare.
It's hard to sneak up on a hawk!

Splurging on spurge

I planted a few little spurge plants a year ago. A friend gave them to me.

I made a little pocket of dirt in the rocks by the pond for them. They liked that spot.

They liked being in the full sun all day.

They liked being in the rocks.

So they spread.

This year I have hundreds of spurge plants coming up all along the side of the pond.

They are just little purple/red spots now.

Huuummm, they seem to be spreading into the grass too.

I think we have a spurge surge.

Here's the culprit

At night a loud PEEP! PEEP! sounds across the pond. It's one of the first sure signs of spring.

That loud noise is made by a very tiny frog.

There he is - the Spring Peeper.

Weeded here, blooming there

I've cleaned out the garden around the Narcissus in back. Now you can see the buds showing a little color.
But up in the tangled weeds by the shed, where I haven't done any work, the first yellow blooms are showing.

Cleaning out the Iris bed

The Winter ice and snow and cold have turned the old Iris leaves white. It is time to pull them out so that the new plants can grow.

I like a job like this - I can really tell that I've done something when I have finished it.
Now I can hardly wait until May when the Iris flowers will bloom.

Sunshine

Today the sun is shining. It has gotten warm enough to go outside without a coat (but you still want to wear a long-sleeved heavy shirt). More flowers are popping out.
We can hardly wait for it to be really Spring.

First flowers

The snow is melting. The big piles are shrinking. Underneath the snow some plants have been growing.
When they finally emerge into sunlight, they open up --
the first crocus!