A Walk in the Woods

 Yesterday we took a spring walk at the NC Arboretum. Somehow, I missed the turn in the trail and we ended up on a woodland trail a bit above the riverbed where I had hoped to see some early wildflowers. No problem, as there is much to see no matter which trail you are on.

We started just to the side of the Baker Center. I especially like the "natural" signage at the center which frames this red bud in bloom. In fact, throughout the grounds the red buds were at their peak.

 Above is a nice solitary example and below you can see the magnolia blossoms against the red bud.

Since our walk took us through a forested area there was lots of moss, but we didn't really see any of the wildflowers which require more sunlight. At the end of the walk is a small sunny area and I did see some violets.

 In contrast, there are some showy pansies planted in the more formal gardens.

The dogwood are just starting in our area and this particular dogwood tree had only a single blossom!

 There were also several different magnolia varieties in bloom and the walkway through the Garden of Promise was "littered" with discarded white and fuchsia petals.

I have quite a few photos to share today and many of them I couldn't really identify by plant name, but they are pretty, so I will post them for you to enjoy.

There was lots of butterfly and bee activity as you'd expect with so much in bloom.
Here is a butterfly enjoying the ground phlox.

The container gardens are changed out each season and I wanted to document what is probably the last of the daffodils... they are definitely on their way out this year in our area. I especially like these cheerful flowers!

And next to them was a colorful display of crocuses, another flower that is pretty much finished with in this area. They were a treat to see!

And let's not forget the tulips, which are currently in their glory!

Here's a view of some flowering trees...along with that blue Carolina sky!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the things I saw in bloom yesterday and maybe it will motivate you to take a walk in the woods or in a garden or just around your house to see what is waking up this Spring.