Spring Has Sprung

Our spring finally arrived but the neighbors agree that it was very late this year. I even heard it said that exactly 200 years ago, in 1816, this area had what they called the "Year Without Summer," where every month had frosts and the farmers were devastated. We all hope that experience is not about to be repeated. But right now it appears that we are on course for a normal, albeit delayed. spring and summer:

I've been hearing what I believed to be White Throated Sparrows singing but they are secretive and I never get to see them. Then one morning I saw a sparrow on the ground beneath the Lilac with white on its head and got out my camera to photograph it with the zoom lens. I had to take many photos to get one good one, but this identified it as a White Crowned Sparrow, a northern species on its way to breeding grounds in upper Canada. That means we won't be seeing them for much longer:

And finally, my "lawn" is beginning to bloom with violets:

And with Dandelions:

The old fashioned Peonies are putting up new shoots:

And the heritage roses are leafing out:

Crabapples littered the ground beneath the flowering crab trees. You can imagine what happened the first time I ran the riding mower over them. They were like exploding pus bags:

And the flowering crab trees themselves were putting out new leaves and flower buds, though they are still tiny:

My Bleeding Heart was springing up from the ground and would soon be flowering:

The Snowball Bushes I'd planted were doing extremely well. The friend who sent them to me promised they were hardy - and apparently they are:

The old fashioned Lilac was putting out leaves and flower buds. They'll be late this year but they are always beautiful:

The apple trees were just beginning to leaf out. They'll be flowering later. Spring has sprung indeed - and it's about time!: