Green stuff

Our nature does not seaze to amaze me with its flexibility when it comes to the temperatures in spring. It has been real cold these past days, but the rain then and sun now have caused another burst in the green. Bushes and the earliest trees are pushing out leaves and flowers keep popping up everywhere.

Flowers, mushrooms and colorful leaves

During this past week, the birches have turned all yellow. Yesterday was a very beautiful, very warm autumn day, today was a bit cooler, though mostly sunny. Yesterday we went hiking through some forests for a few hours, today our dogs were tired, so we only went walking around here a few times. Despite the autumn pushing, there's still flowers blooming here and there - yesterday we walked past a meadow full of flowers - with bees and other insects buzzing around. Mushrooms are popping up and climbing ivy on the balcony railing of our neighbor looks fantastic in its magentas and purples.

¨

Colors of Autumn

Our autumn this year has been a rather warm one so far. Still, the dropping night temperatures have slowly but surely started to turn nature into autumny colors. On Sunday we went outing in Nuuksio National Park, where there were still some blueberries (bilberries, really) in the bushes. Streets and trails are covered in fallen leaves - even though the trees still look pretty green. Aronia (chokeberry) is of the most beautiful autumn sights, with its leaves turning bright red and mauve, in contrast with the near black berries.

Dandelions

Often times dandelions are already everywhere by mid-May. Often times lilacs are in full bloom by the end of May when schools end. Often times apple trees are blooming all May long. Despite our "heatwave" in March, spring is actually quite late this year, due to the weeks of cold and rainy weather after that first warm spell. Occasional warm days have been quite, well, occasional. Thus, dandelions are taking over our yard only now. Apple trees are only starting to bloom. Lilacs only have small flower buds. Still, summer's knocking on the door.

Those fabulous tulips

Those red tulips have been floweriing absolutely beautifully on our backyard for some time now. In the sun they open up big like wine goblets. Unfortunately, everything comes to an end at some point, even tulips. Many of them have started to wilt and the rest of them look like they soon will, too. They're still quite fabulous though!

Many of the seeds we planted way back when are groing nicely already, like radishes and sunflowers. Some not at all yet, like basil, eg.

Apple blossoms still have not opened. I'm a bit impatient, I know ;) Oh, and we'll get some strawberries too :)

Maple

Tiny green maple leaves look so delicate and cute, still wrinkeled newbies. 

Squirrel in the blooming maple

All them squirrels in the trees next to our backyard are driving our dogs absolutely crazy. Mostly the squirrels seem to stay in the huge fir trees, but today a couple of them were scurrying up and down the blooming maple right at the edge of our yard.

Our apple trees are getting ready to blossom. Every day I wonder if maybe today... 

Apple tree buds

The buds on our apple trees are slowly opening. I'm really looking forward to having blooming apple trees right in my own yard! It's a first for me! Still, the thing I'd love even more would be a couple of cherry trees. They are already in full bloom. I just saw one the other day, but had no opportunity to stop to take pics. 

The sea of flowers

Blue and white, the colors of Finland. In the spring time, these two colors can be found mingled together in a sea of wood anemonies and liverworts. I have always wanted to live by a forest where liverworts (hepaticas) grow, never before I have, but now we do. It's beautiful! The blooming of liverworts and wood anemonies overlap somewhat. Liverworts are the earlier bloomers of these two.

 

Trees are getting leaves - not my favorite spring sign, the birch just yet, though. Willows are flowering. The other one of our apple trees is pushing buds. Won't be long and it is in full bloom!

Green

How lovely. Our yard is full of different flowers, as is the forest which is also turning greener and greener each day.

Spring and sun are here again

Sun came back bringing the warmth of spring here again. Crocusi are blooming, tulips are pushing out buds, first trees and bushes are getting leaves, our apple tree has small red buds and the blackbirds have returned. The nature is waking up and our yard is full of surprises!