Woods Prom

We are fortunate to live near the beautiful Jenkins Arboretum in Devon, Pennsylvania, which is a preserve of native woods and indigenous wildflowers. It is fenced off on all sides to keep out the deer that, due to over-development and lack of predators, are everywhere, eating everything. So here is this little patch of woods, in its natural state, and it is lovely. At the beginning of spring we run over to check out what little green shoots are poking their way up through the leaf litter, and we check back once or twice a week to see what is budding, what is leafing out, what birds have arrived, and what is in bloom. The scene changes every week throughout the spring; a symphony that begins quietly, then builds to a crescendo of colors, shapes, and sounds at every level of the forest.

I’ve tried for the three years in a row we’ve lived here to contact friends and relatives as I see it happening. “You’ve got to get over here! It’s unbelievable! It will all be different next week! You’ll miss it!” People are so busy, with days booked weeks and months ahead. With all of the responsibilities and routines and commitments, it’s harder than ever to make the time to stop and notice what is going on right around us, on mother nature’s untamed clock.

When I lived in Los Angeles, some folks would get ready in early spring for the great California poppy blooms that would cover the Antelope Valley in a carpet of orange. Aficionados knew, you had to listen or call or read for the go-ahead from rangers or locals, and be ready in a day’s notice to jump in the car and drive out there to see all of those bright orange heads, dancing in the wind - all gone in a matter of days.

Here are some photos from our local arboretum, caught just in time at the peak of the azalea bloom. They are, appropriately for this time of year, dressed to go to the prom.

What is bursting forth in a few short days of glory where you live?