Here I wander in April
Cold, grey-headed; and still to my heart
Spring comes with a bound, Spring the deliverer,
Spring, song-leader in woods, chorally resonant . . . ~Robert Louis Stevenson
True, it is the last day of April as I write this, but in my wanderings I have watched spring come with a bound to lead the garden in song. 
In March, there was little hint of what was to come. 
Spring drew on…and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps. ~Charlotte Bronte
Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields…Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness. ~Mary Oliver
First the hellebores 
and the native bloodroot bloomed . . . 
followed by daffodils of every color. (click on any photo to see a full-size image)
The native Ostrich ferns unfurled (Matteuccia struthiopteris), showing off their fractal geometry
as well as creating a textured backdrop for the summer snowflakes. 
Pixie is joyously exploring the new smells and sounds of the woods and guards her domain with diligence and grace. 
A dog can never tell you what she knows from the smells of the world, but you know, watching her, that you know almost nothing. ~Mary Oliver
I planted tulips last fall, for the first time in years, and am reveling in their color along with the thousands of our native wild violets that run through the garden beds.
but the biggest show is in the “Grape and Lemonade” bed – full of tulips, daffodils, and forget-me-nots. 
I’m continuing to explore making garden videos – I want to share how it feels to move through the garden rather than merely look at it.
Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are enjoying the unfolding of the new season as color and light change and make magic in the world.
Come with me into the woods where spring is
advancing, as it does, no matter what,
not being singular or particular, but one
of the forever gifts, and certainly visible. ~Mary Oliver
All photos, text, and video ©2023 by Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved except where noted.
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