April Showers

Oh those April showers! I love watching the rain clouds roll in, then watching them get pushed away by the sun. The rain-soaked hiking paths shimmer, changing from gray to silver.

It's a good thing I'm waterproof.

Swarm

It's dogwood time in Tennessee, and throughout the southeastern US. Yes, we have loads of pretty cultivated dogwood trees, but they had to come from somewhere originally. So today I'm showing you a wild dogwood, a volunteer if you will, growing in the woods at Ijams Nature Center. I spotted it on a wildflower walk sponsored by the Center this past weekend. The blossoms on the wild trees aren't as numerous. But that's OK, because these looked like a swarm of butterflies flying toward me.

I'll have a few more wildflower photos to post this week as I work on my macro technique.

Fountainhead

This flowering tree in the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood looked like a fountain spraying blossoms instead of water. Which is why I love spring in East Tennessee.

Happy Trails

I'm on my way to the Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area in South Knoxville. What a pleasant trail, as spring brings color to the back roads of the Tennessee Valley. Come walk with me. We'll follow the river trail.

Vernal Equinox

Spring is officially here - and not a moment too soon! It doesn't take much warm weather for the Bradford pear trees to blossom out - here's one framing the Sunsphere.

Fun Fact: According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's 2009 allergy survey, Knoxville is the second worst city in the US for allergy sufferers. (Louisville, Kentucky is number one this year). This is not a fun fact for people who live here. Please pass the Zyrtec.

Hurry Spring

This week I'm celebrating the first signs of spring - oh, so close now! - and my triumphant and noncontagious return to civilization. This past weekend, the sun was out, the air was warm, and the trees were starting to bud.

I know we'll probably get one more winter storm before March is over, but until then, I'll enjoy the good spring-like weather.

The Wisteria That Ate Knoxville

Yesterday I showed you some very tiny flowers. Today I'm going to the opposite extreme with an enormous flowering vine. This is the largest tangle of Chinese wisteria that I have seen in town. This wisteria holds court in the not-too-photogenic edge of the parking lot of the Kroger grocery store in the Bearden neighborhood. Chinese wisteria is considered an invasive species in North America; it has no natural insect or fungal enemies here and spreads out of control, as you can see. But the purple blooms are very beautiful.

Bluets

These little harbingers of spring are found throughout the eastern U.S. in forests and meadows. I found these tiny bluets growing in the lawn of the City County Building downtown. I like having wildflowers growing in urban areas.

Strolling

It's a perfect day for a stroll around the agriculture campus at the University of Tennessee. This path is near the Animal Sciences building. I love how the light shines through the spring leaves on the trees - it's so serene. I hope your path today is sunny and serene, wherever you are.

In Tents

I took this quick snap of the Dogwood Festival on Market Square packing up tents yesterday, but the festival continues all over town for the next two weeks with art shows, open gardens, and the dogwood trails through the neighborhoods. I know I haven't shown you much beyond the square and the park for the past few days - there's just been so much going on there lately - but I promise to show you a panorama that is non-square-or-park sometime this week.

Getting Ready

The flower beds are freshly mulched and the tents are going up here in Krutch Park, and also on Market Square. The Dogwood Arts Festival officially starts tomorrow. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is calling for rain and colder temperatures. I hope to show you some photos of the Dogwood Parade tomorrow night, unless it gets rained out. Ah, springtime in East Tennessee: if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes and it will change.

Redbuds, Blue House

And a bright red truck thrown in for good measure. I was driving along Sutherland Avenue and saw this. The combination of colors just made me happy, so I pulled over and took this photo.

Redbuds Are Blooming

And the dogwoods aren't far behind. These are some redbud trees budding out on the waterfront. Hooray for spring!

A Walk in the Rain

I think rain is going to be the theme around here for the next few days, but we sure do need it to ease the severe drought that much of the southeastern U.S. has been experiencing. I had a lovely early evening walk down Market Square, the downtown pedestrian plaza. The square usually has more activity on a Thursday evening, but today it was serenely silent.

After the Rain

Knoxville and East Tennessee are amazingly beautiful places to be in the spring, especially because of all the flowering trees. The Bradford pear trees are already done; after last night's thunderstorm, most of the petals are scattered on the ground or pooled in the gutters like these forlorn petals. But the redbuds and dogwoods are already starting to bud and bloom.