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

Linking up with Blue Monday, Skywatch Friday, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, and Saturday Show Off. If there is only one photo visible, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos above for a few more recent ones.

In the break we had from rain a couple of days ago, I went out with my dry paintbrush and pollinated my two little fruit trees. (“Make like a bee!”) I am lucky enough to have a dwarf cherry tree with multiple grafts on it of different varieties. However, even though it is “self-fertile,” all that means is that it doesn’t need another variety to pollinate. It still needs some pollen to move around for the fruit to set. So out I go, on a sunny day, with my soft, dry paintbrush, and gently brush the blossoms. I have found it makes a big difference. Use this technique on tomato plants, too.

Fruiting cherry tree blooms in backyard orchard

Linking to Blue Monday, Skywatch Friday, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday,  Straight out of the Camera Sunday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. If you’re a macro fan, try clicking on the tag “close up” in the tag cloud at right.

A couple strolling through Seattle’s Volunteer park:

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

Joining to Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, Scenic Weekends, and Saturday Show Off. If there is only one image here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see several recent ones. Thanks!

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.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, Scenic Weekends, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here and please come back soon.

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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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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We had one sunny, warm day. One. But it was perfection, and here in Seattle, everyone surely appreciated it. I went outside and my tulips were in full bloom.

Orange tulips bloom against a blue sky

Joining up with I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Wordless Wednesday, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Blue Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, My Romantic Home, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, and Saturday Show Off. Please click on the curly letters of Sara’s Fave Photos above if there is only one photo here. Thank you so much for visiting, and please come back soon.

Here’s another image from the same Connecticut park as the scene below. Early spring is the sweetest season.

Forsythia and a beckoning bench in the spring sunshine

Take a look at Scenic Weekends, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Water World Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Weekend Reflections, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks so much for visiting here, and have a great day.

It was exactly at this time of year when I took this spring scene at a park in Connecticut. Isn’t it just the picture of spring?

Forsythia blooms and pink trees reflect in a Connecticut pond scene

Linking up with Scenic Weekends, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Water World Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Blue Monday, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Weekend Reflections, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, and Saturday Show Off. Please try a new tag or category, at the right sidebar, while you are here. thanks!

Sometimes beauty appears in surprising places.

Sun sets over an empty tennis court in very early spring

Participating in Scenic Weekends, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, NF Catching the Light Monday, and Saturday Show Off. Please try a new tag or category, especially if there is only one photo showing.