Great shot of your columbine.
Bluebirds are always welcome.
What is the graceful looking, red-leafed tree in the first photo?

Randy

That is a Japanese maple, Randy. It is in my neighbor's yard but we get the benefit of it as it has grown toward our house. The smaller tree to the left is another graceful, beautifully shaped small Japanese maple. Iknow you have a beautiful one, too. I don't know the varieties, I wish I did.

Very nixe it's waking up here too the first of the early cherries started to bloom and the mass of magnolias are opening at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

I thought it probably was a Japanese Maple, but since it is so tall I wasn't sure. Very beautiful. The person who planted it did everyone a great service. I see the other one now too in the pic.

Randy

Oh I love those bird houses!! I want more for my garden. My neighbors cat has eaten a couple birds from my yard so I almost hate to lure the birds to my house! :o:
~Meghan

Great pics, Gean. I like the birdhouses, very charming.

I wish I could see a bluebird in my yard, probably too far from the open fields.

I like the columbine. I have a few columbines in the garden, I like the colors and the shape of the bloom.

Hi Gean, I see you love birdhouses too! Did Don build those for you? I think I forgot to tell you that I have seen one hummingbird and just today a bluebird was checking out one of my houses. I've grown columbines but they never come back, well except one white one.
Those are some wonderful pictures and I'm looking forward to seeing your garden spring forth.

Randy, from the street facing the maples, you see the dark red dwarf maple, the dark green of those hollies and then that muted brownish red of the large maple. Beyond it, there is a row of pink azaleas that are just starting to bloom. The colors, altogether are very striking. Whoever designed that knew their plants. I'm glad you like the maples; I really think they're beautiful.

Joe, I hope you'll post some of your spectacular photography; I'd love to see those cherry and magnolias and the rest of spring as it wakes in your world. Thanks for posting.

Thank you, Meghan; I see a drift of bird feathers occasionally and know that the feline stalkers have been around. We keep our kitty inside, but I know there are loose cats. grrr. I don't think you can have too many birdhouses!

Thank you, Krista. I like columbines too. I just discovered them last year and have a couple of whites plus this salmon colored one. They have been reseeding and spreading. Yay!
What color are yours?

Hamp, I'm glad to hear you have seen a hummingbird. Supposedly they've made it to this area, but I haven't seen any. I love those things. Thank you for your kind words. Don didn't make the birdhouses, but he has made a couple of bluebird houses. He's bummed they will sit on the the manufactured housing, lol, rather than the houses he made for them.

Happy spring, everyone! Gean

Your bluebird photograph is so sweet. Looks like a painting.

Gean, mine are blue and pink. I have more than one variety. I have a new columbine that I planted last summer, hope it survived winter.

Thank you, huttnem.

Krista, the blue and pinks are pretty; I had to look them up as I hadn't seen them before. Please post pictures of yours when they're in bloom; I'd love to see them.

Your pictures are lovely-----Great birdhouses---We have several and the birdies have been very busy---they are a joy to watch.
Great picture of the Colombine-----

Florence

I thought you didn't know how to use that camera, looks like you are doing a pretty good job :-). The birds are busy, busy, busy around here. I love this time of year.

Carol

Florence and Carol, thanks for stopping by and for looking at the pictures. I got a new camera for Christmas, but I've been terrified and rattled by the buttons so it's taken spring to get me to actually try to figure it out.

Thanks again, and happy spring to both of you. Florence, I've seen some of your birdhouses and they are so cute. Carol, I think I've seen a few of yours sticking up in some of your pictures, too... I know you've got them!
Gean

Wonderful! I recognize that Columbine. It's a California native, I think.