Dandelions

 

Jack in the Pulpit

What an exquisite creation! Here is a fully-opened bloom. 

Photo shoot gone awry

 

Beech grove

God uses a lot of different greens during spring, and wow He uses them well.

The beech leaves are almost fully emerged here at our house, and they are absolutely stunning. It's interesting to see the contrast between the rugged, hollow, dying beech trunk and the vibrant youth of the hundreds of saplings that it has spawned.

Natural affection

Ethan, Asa, & I took a walk together in the woods today when I got home from work. When Ethan saw the violets in bloom on the forest floor, he instinctively picked some for his mom.

The Bible mentions the phrase "without natural affection" in Romans 1 and II Timothy 3. According to an article by Henry Morris on the Institute for Creation Research website, the phrase "natural affection" comes from a Greek word that denotes the "the natural love that members of the same family have for each other."

Seeing that love in Ethan this afternoon really warmed my heart.

Jack in the pulpit

I found this almost-opened 8-10" flower while clearing trees & brush from a portion of our yard. If I'm able, I'm going to try to capture some pictures during the different phases of the plant's summer growing cycle. 

Magnolia liliflora 'Ann'

I love to landscape. Last fall we got a really good deal on plants from the garden center where I work. We planted a magnolia on the corner of our house and it's just beginning to bloom right now. 

Asa's Uncle Kris & Aunt Sarah hosted a 1st birthday party today for Asa & their daughter Emma. Emma & Asa were born only a few days apart! 

Ethan & cousin Josiah played in the dirt at Uncle Kris & Aunt Sarah's house. 

Asa & his birthday cupcake

The next 3 pictures sort of speak for themselves.

 

 

 

Bald eagle nest webcam

To those of you not yet acquainted, someone here in Maine has mounted a camera near a bald eagle's nest. If you have broadband, you can watch a live broadcast of what's happening. The site also has still pics for those of us that still use dial up.

See http://www.briloon.org

Maine Wildflower

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a conspicuous splash of green in the woods near our house (in Maine, anything green is conspicuous at this time of year). I made a mental note to check that spot as Spring progressed. Today I noticed these beautiful blooms. I have identified it as a Purple Trillium, a member of the lily family. Very cool.

We have another interesting wildflower that grows around here: Jack-in-the-pulpits. As they begin to develop, I'll try to get a picture of one of them that I can post.