A brilliant awakening

The tulips have burst forth with color.

It felt that spring may have finally sprung. Of course, April showers seemed to transform into a May monsoon season. Despite the rain, the flora and fauna were stirring.

Ernest Hemingway no doubt said it best with “When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.”

After enduring many false springs, the tulips displayed their vibrant colors to put on their annual show.

Lil' Bit was forced to endure some posing with a posies photography sessions.

Timus, our orange tabby, also enjoyed some time in the garden.

Lil' Bit took time from his tulip photo posing to strike a gopher-like pose when he discovered that Timus was also in the garden.

While the garden was filled with showy tulips, the yard was dotted with purple as the violets popped up. The rain kept the mowers at bay and so the violets ruled the day.

The flowering crabapple had begun to show its true colors as well.

Seemingly devoid of color, a white daffodil captured my interest. Perhaps it was the lack of the bright yellow that made it easier for me to see the delicate form of the flower.

However, there was no lack of color at the bird feeders. The orioles have returned and are consuming grape jelly at a high rate. While filling two jelly feeders, I felt that I should just put the grape goo on autoship from Smuckers.

The orioles were not solely to blame for the exorbitant jelly consumption. A pair of catbirds also helped out.

More hummingbirds have arrived.

​At first all I had seen were the males, but the females showed up a little later. The need for another hummingbird feeder was quickly realized when our local feeder guardian was reinstated to his post. He sat on the feeder's hook and chased all the other hummers away.

​However, an additional feeder on the other side of the house, meant he can't be in two places at once.

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In addition to the hummingbirds, I was finally able to get a shot of the white crowned sparrows that have been visiting.

Several male rose-breasted grosbeaks enhanced the color around bird feeders.

Not to be outdone by all the birds, a red squirrel decided to strike a pose.

While my bird feeders saw several visitors, a solitary sandpiper made its annual appearance at the neighbor's pond.

I kept checking my next favorite watering hole beside the neighbor's pond, a vernal pool home to many woodfrog tadpoles. The pollywogs have thrived despite temperature fluctuations. I loved to check on their progress and was waiting for some legs to start forming.

However, my curiosity about the vernal pool quickly drew unwanted attention from some other animals, mostly mine. First the dogs felt the need to muddy the waters. Then Kyle decided he desperately needed a drink. I think he may have slurped up some tadpoles in the process.

Admittedly my critters are known to sometimes disrupt the tranquility of the woods. However, there was one wild creature that seemed utterly unaware of the chaos my creatures create.

I spotted a what I thought was racoon sleeping high up in a hemlock tree when we ventured out for a morning walk. When we returned to the woods in the afternoon, the racoon had not moved. I spoke up and clapped my hands to see if there was any response. There was no reaction. I wondered if had taken a photo of a racoon taking its final nap. It was in the tree where the barred owl had been seen. However, the next day, there was no racoon. Whether or not the raccoon had awakened or succumbed to a dirt nap, is something that only Mother Nature knows.

​That's just the nature of things 'round here.