Tag Archives: Virginia

Winter to Spring

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There have been some interesting variations in the weather this January.  First it was cold and snowy, then it got warm and over the weekend there was a tornado warning.  Now it’s cold again and it might snow in a few days. After all this I’m hoping for an early spring!  I’m going to Florida (Orlando) in a few days and it will definitely be warmer than it is here. I’ve checked the extended weather forecast and it should be warm and sunny while I’m there.  I’m looking forward to seeing some flowers too.  They are always so cheerful and provide a hopeful reminder that spring will be returning, and the sooner the better!

What it looked like last week with snow:

January snow

Flowers that will (hopefully) be here soon…

Bright color
Colorful flower
Spring flowers
So cheerful
Welcome spring
Tulips

Summer Garden with Butterflies

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One of the nicest parts about summer is seeing all the flowers in bloom.  Right now in my garden there are purple coneflowers, daisies, black-eyed Susans, bee balm, phlox and many other colorful flowers, all competing for space.  Along with these plants are some interesting visitors such as butterflies, along with bumblebees and honey bees.  One of my favorite herbs is lavender, and since there was so much rain this spring followed by sunshine they have really grown.  Here is an assortment from my garden on a sunny day.  I would have taken more pictures but I was chased away by a bee that didn’t want any humans around!

Garden visitor
Sunny day
Garden in July
Lavender
Butterfly visiting

A Garden Visitor

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After visiting the Chelsea Flower Show in May I’ve been inspired to work on my own garden.  After all, who wouldn’t want a garden that looks like this?

Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea Flower Show

So I’ve been tending my garden and the lavender, purple coneflowers, daisies, lemon balm, thyme and other herbs and flowers have really grown since I planted them last year.  There have been lots of bumblebees this summer but no butterflies until yesterday, when I saw a visitor among the flowers.

Among the flowers
A wonderful sight!
A visitor

 

The butterfly didn’t seem to mind that I was standing very close to get these pictures. Since I’d selected flowers for this garden that would attract bees, butterflies and songbirds, I was delighted to see such a colorful visitor.  Later I did some research and discovered that it’s a Tiger Swallowtail, and I hope it comes back many, many times!

Almost Spring Again

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Now that it’s March I know it will be spring soon.  I was out for a walk at a park and when I saw all these hopeful signs of spring I know it won’t be long now.

almost spring

About to bloom
Waiting for some birds!
Calm water
Future flowers
Peaceful waterfall

Just a few more days and it will be spring!

Almost spring

November Scenes

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I’ve been in different parts of Virginia over the past few weeks and the change in the trees has been remarkable.  When I was in Williamsburg at the beginning of the month there was a lot of color in the leaves and shrubs.  A nursery at Colonial Williamsburg had rows of greenery and potted plants for sale.  Last week I was in the mountains and saw the Natural Bridge.  It was quite impressive even though the leaves were gone.  Still, the trees can be dramatic even without leaves.

Williamsburg in early November:

autumn

Lots of color
Plants for sale
Williamsburg
Bright berries
Still growing

A few weeks later:

autumn

 

The bridge
Waterfall
Retaining wall
A path to…
Curved tree

Now is also a good time to look forward to all the upcoming holidays.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Autumn Leaves

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Last Sunday afternoon I went to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia to see the fall colors.  I picked a good day for a visit because this is what I saw.

Blue RIdge

Autumn colors are everywhere.

First glimpse of colors
It’s autumn!
Scenic overlook
Rows of mountains…
Brilliant colors
Water view
From a walking trail

Sometimes it isn’t necessary to say too much about your subject.  The scenery is simply perfect.

Blue Ridge

 

At the Park

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This past weekend I visited a park on a perfect spring day.  I followed some tree-lined paths where I saw flowering dogwoods as well as fresh new leaves on the trees.  There were lots of other people out walking as well as families enjoying picnics in shady areas.  I even discovered a waterfall along the way.  It was delightful to simply follow a trail and admire the sights.

At the park

Spring greenery
Wildflowers
Along the path…
Fresh green leaves
A tree in bloom

It’s really spring!

Virginia

 

Searching for Spring Flowers

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One of my favorite subjects for this blog has always been flowers.  When I look through all the pictures that I’ve taken while traveling there are flowers, whether I saw them on walks in the mountains or even decorating the outsides of buildings.  Spring flowers are charming because the bright colors are especially welcome after the winter.  Today I went in search of flowers and I was happy to find all of these.  I also like the colors of other spring accessories such as bird baths and planters.  It is starting to get warmer outside and the days are longer.  It really looks like spring!

New flowers
Strawberry plants
Fresh spring flowers
Welcome spring!
Assorted planters
Very cheerful

Spring

 Here are more spring pictures.

A Snow Day

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The snow began to fall during the night and by morning this was the scene in my yard. So just for today my only traveling consists of walking to the back door and seeing this.  I haven’t noticed any birds and the only sound is that of snow sliding off branches to the ground.  I’m not sure how much snow has fallen but I can see it stacked on the post and the bird feeder.  Later on I will probably look at my books about Italy and do some daydreaming, but for now it is enough to be indoors, look at the snowy scene and make plans to go outside this afternoon to shovel the driveway!

snow

Here is the same scene in color and then in black and white.

Next month should bring warmer weather…

snow

Welcome to December

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Now that it is December I wanted to find out how nearby places are decorated for the holidays.  Recently I went to Williamsburg to get an idea of how someplace set in the past would be decorated.  It was very simple and many of the wreaths and other displays included fruit and flowers.  As I walked I saw all of these traditional scenes.

on display
simple and classic
colorful wreath
decorated entrance
welcome to the holidays!

In addition to Colonial Williamsburg there are other parts of town with shopping areas and they also had charming decorations and displays.  This was the perfect time for a hot chocolate and a leisurely walk!

holiday

holiday

Even though it’s December there are still brightly colored leaves like these in the late afternoon sun.

holiday