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March's end

This is what the end of March looks like in my garden.
The bluebonnets are blooming.

American Goldfinches in their summer dress are passing through and stopping to have a snack at the nyger seed feeders.

Over the weekend, I saw my first Giant Swallowtail butterfly of the year. 

And my first Tiger Swallowtail of 2015. Just beautiful!

But the stars of the show these days are the azaleas. For most of the year, their shrubs are inconspicuous, but in early spring they put on a show for us. Mine have never been so full of blooms as they are this spring. This is an old plant in the backyard garden. 

This is one of the everblooming azaleas that I added to my front garden last fall. They had a few blooms all through the autumn and winter, but now, in spring, they are absolutely full of these bright blossoms.
Spring in Southeast Texas is typically a very brief season. Some years, we go from winter to summer in the blink of an eye. This time, our winter hardly even qualified as a winter and we've been in spring mode practically since the middle of February. Soon enough, summer will be rearing its fiery head. But for now, we luxuriate in mild, glorious days, enjoying the early blossoms and the spring migrant birds as they pass through, the first swallowtail butterflies of the season, and, especially, loving the feel of dirt on our hands once again. 

 Note: I'm linking to the "End of Month View" post at The Patient Gardener's Weblog.
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Comments

  1. Sand for SoilMarch 30, 2015 at 8:30 PM

    Your azaleas are gorgeous! And send that Tiger Swallowtail over to my yard ~ love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 30, 2015 at 10:51 PM

      Isn't he a beauty? When we start seeing the swallowtail butterflies, we know that spring has truly arrived.

      Delete
  2. Betty CarlsonMarch 31, 2015 at 12:43 AM

    I thought Texas would be too hot for azaleas? I guess not...

    I am enjoying photos of spring as it has been raining and/or grey and gloomy here for almost two weeks now. A few plants are flowering, but we hardly notice them...sigh...

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 31, 2015 at 9:01 AM

      There are certainly parts of Texas where it is too hot and dry for azaleas, but we are near the Gulf Coast, our climate is hot and humid (accent on the humid), and azaleas love it!

      Delete
  3. CarmenMarch 31, 2015 at 7:56 AM

    Great pics, Dorothy! The azaleas and the butterfly, oh my. We had ice on the car this morning because it rained overnight and the temp was low. On Sunday it snowed the whole day, though we hardly had any accumulation. Spring is taking forever to arrive in the Northeast this year, particularly after that beast of a winter we've had.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 31, 2015 at 9:06 AM

      The Northeast has certainly had a terrible winter and it seems that it continues. But surely spring is moving your way, even if it is at a snail's pace. Let us hope that April will finally see its arrival.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousApril 2, 2015 at 10:51 AM

    I always enjoy Texan blogs especially at this time of year as it looks so vibrant but I hadn't realised you could have such a short spring

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersApril 2, 2015 at 11:38 AM

      The particular part of Texas where I live typically has pretty short springs but not always the non-winter that we had this year. Of course, Texas encompasses a lot of territory and there are parts of it that have very harsh winters and, often, long springs - just not here on the Gulf Coast.

      Delete
  5. UnknownApril 3, 2015 at 9:08 PM

    We are having quite the year of bluebonnets, aren't we? Your swallowtails are gorgeous. I haven't seen any of these varieties in my garden, but have an abundance of Eastern Black Swallowtails and always seem to have caterpillars on my fennel and dill.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersApril 3, 2015 at 10:58 PM

      I saw a Black Swallowtail flitting around the garden just today. I seem to get all of the different swallowtail species in my yard at various times of the year. Most abundant are the Giant Swallowtail and the Pipevine Swallowtail. They are all beautiful.

      Delete
  6. Janet/PlantalisciousApril 4, 2015 at 1:38 AM

    Clearly very happynazaleas! Loads of great colour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersApril 4, 2015 at 10:12 AM

      All of the azaleas around here have been especially full of blooms and colorful this year. Something to do with our mild winter, I'm sure.

      Delete

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