Spring is in the air

Continuing rainfall freshens the greenness of spring and changes the soil from dry and pale to a rich deep brown; lifting the earthy fragrance into the moist air.  A host of sparrows peck hungrily in the grass, sourcing some edible feast.  Male blackbirds squabble noisily within the laurel hedge, dashing out and chasing one another around the garden; moments later followed by a female who is almost shaking her head in dismay.

A solitary robin sits beneath the hedge, pecking at the weedy growth below.

An unnamed yellow iris is flowering still, its secondary buds opening as the primary ones fade. 

A thrust of soft red growth pushes through the phlox, showing promise for new Rosa ‘Sympathie’ stem to be tied in when a little longer. 

It is barely half way through the month yet already the first flower on Rosa ‘Aloha’ has just opened and a rush of buds on the other roses are well forward. 

The Swallowtail saved the day

Last week the Swallowtails and Brimstones were flying over the garden but not stopping – last Friday a Swallowtail stopped by and stayed long enough for me to take a close up.  What a privilege!  Phil was already cutting the lawn – all set to mow the entire forest of Ajuga down – the Swallowtail stopped and he changed his mind.  In many ways cutting the outside edge has made the Ajuga look even more beautiful.  I also managed a brief video of a very large bumble bee – bumbling around the pretty blue flowers.  Nature is such a wonderful thing.

April is here

Today is cloudy so the daisies are sulking; not opening wide their petals as they did in yesterday's sunshine. 
I have a forest of Ajuga flowering in the grass. Fewer butterflies flit from flower to flower today.  Yesterday the lawn was 'alive' with all manor of visiting insects, little bees, hoverflies, a tiny orange coloured butterfly and a larger white (not as large as the cabbage white) enjoying the flowers. Brimstone and swallowtail butterflies fly across the garden, and over the hedge; we obviously have nothing of interest for them.

I lay on the grass to capture a photograph - never realising just how beautiful the tiny ajuga flowers were, in doing so I crushed the foliage of Calaminta, a minty fragrance lingered in the air and on my jeans.  Philip has allowed me another day to enjoy this wildness - only the front lawn had its first cut of the year.