Leaves in spring sunshine can be as dazzling as autumn color. Here are some red Japanese maple leaves like flaming fingers against the sky.

Deep red Japanese maple leaves against a blue springtime sky

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A couple strolling through Seattle’s Volunteer park:

A couple walks in the late afternoon sun in springtime in Volunteer Park

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At Seattle’s Volunteer Park the other day. This photo is one of my very top faves and I am calling it my weekly Top Shot.

Elm tree branch backlit by April sun in Seattle’s Volunteer Park.

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From my recent visit to the Skagit tulips. The trunks of the trees were at least 6 or 8 feet (2-3 meters) in diameter. They were OLD.

Red and pink tulips under sunshine and clouds in Mt. Vernon, WA

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Friends drove me to Seattle and their car had VERY clean car windows.

Monochrome view of Seattle’s Great Wheel, from the Viaduct

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As a brief break from tulips, I thought I’d show you a new tree (to me), a star magnolia. The pretty white flowers were very fragrant, and 2 or 3 inches wide (5-8 cm). It was growing in a sweet little arboretum in Everett, WA, the Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens.

Fragrant white Star Magnolia blooms in April in Everett, WA

They also had a lovely and fragrant viburnum tree of some kind. Looking on google images for the name of this plant, I find Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’, or Korean spice viburnum, which looks very similar, except that the plant I saw seemed to be a tree, or maybe it was just a very mature shrub. But I want one.

Fragrant viburnum blooms in April in Everett, WA

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The late afternoon light made this row of red tulips with white edges especially scenic.

Late afternoon light illuminates a row of red tulips at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

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Yesterday I was blessed to be able to visit the Skagit Valley tulip festival. Fields of hundreds of acres bloom with color. You will see some tulip photos here in the next while, that’s for sure.

Red, pink and purple tulips bloom in Skagit County, Washington

Joining in with Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Scenic Weekends, Pink Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you so much for visiting, and please come back soon.

As many of you know, I am in love with the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle, and even did a book about it not that long ago. I am so proud to say I’ve been invited to serve on its Board of Directors. The photo below was taken today in the Conservatory at the Annual Meeting of its support organization, the Friends of the Conservatory, where my new status was made official. I’m so excited! What a wonderful place, enjoyed by so many people.

Colorful spring flowers, inside and out, at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle

Joining Scenic Weekends, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, and Saturday Show Off. To see the other photos here, click on the Sara’s Fave Photos lettering above. Thanks for visiting.

Plants have fashions like anything else, at least garden plants do. I don’t see too many people planting old-fashioned forsythia, but I don’t know why not. It blazes in such a flame of welcome color in the early spring.

Bright yellow forsythia blooms in early spring

Connecting to I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Wordless Wednesday, Nature Notes Wednesday, NF Catching the Light Monday, My Romantic Home, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Don’t forget to click on the Sara’s Fave Photos lettering above to see the most recent photos here. Thanks for your visit!