Unfolding - Missoula, Montana

“… The Hawthorn whitens; and the juicy Groves
Put forth their buds, unfolding by degrees,
Till the whole leafy Forest stands displayed,
In full luxuriance, to the sighing gales...”
- From 'The Seasons:Spring' by James Thomson (1700-1748)

Near Stars - Missoula, Montana

Like so many near stars, the caragana's still-furled leaves luminesce; a neighbourhood Milky Way. Mystical, magical - like the tiny unicorn image I stuck to the rainbow in a large framed picture hanging on a co-worker's office wall. 'Tis the day for such frivolity, after all.

Bird Hideaway, Missoula, Montana,

Another hidden smidge of beauty I never before noticed en route to work.

Seeing the bright yellow “bananas” on this caragana hedge sparked happy reminders of a childhood hideaway. Our farm windbreak strategy included a lengthy hedge of this variety as an inner layer. The branches and leaves formed overarching concealment for tea parties and playing with kittens. Turns out caragana is actually in the legume family. Beans, not bananas. Who woulda thunk it?