Nesting wrens

It's been a busy week at home and work, with no free time for posting or reading blogs.  But last weekend, during a break from working in the garden, I was able to get some pictures of a wren couple building a nest in the new birdhouse.  (Be sure to click on the pictures for a closer view.)  All of my birdhouses, including the Colonial Williamsburg bird bottle, have been filled with nests this Spring.

If you're interested in learning more about the birds that feed and nest in your garden, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site.

Spring forward indeed!

I was amazed at how much new growth I found in the yard and garden this weekend - even the change from yesterday to today!  In addition to all of nature's activity, my husband and I were pretty busy, too.  He mounted the birdhouse he gave me for Christmas in the perfect spot.

He also worked hard both yesterday and today preparing a new bed in the lower part of the back yard.
I started some seed, planted some half-price pansies and some candytuft in a container, pulled many, many weeds, took lots and lots of pictures, and moved the garden fairy to a new spot.  Doesn't she look happy dancing through the daffodils?

The rose-colored hellebore is blooming now and both hellebore plants are gorgeous.

The two camellia trees - they reach the roof of our two store house - are loaded with blooms.

The crabapple is leafing out, the penstemon foliage is perking up, and the spirea is budding.  The mint is on its way, the pittosporum is budding, and the spring snowflake is blooming!

c