Spring Colour Everywhere

Sunday afternoon was so warm and sunny that I decided to go into Vancouver to enjoy the weather. A lot of other people were out with the same idea as you can see by the crowd at the main beach at English Bay. As people entered the beach area from the street they were greated by a colourful planting of tulips complete with an underplanting of forget-me-nots. The photo below gives you an idea of the colourful display. And yes, those are fan palms in the planters! The temperatures were very summer-like and worth getting out to experience.

Below is a close-up shot of the colour. I hope it helps perk up your day.

Scotch broom is also in bloom everywhere. It starts blooming about two weeks earlier than in London in southwestern Ontario. A member of the legume family it makes an excellent nitrogen fixer in your garden. The scent from the blooms carries far when the plant is in flower.

Not everyone looks up but this is the rock face on the western end of Stanley Park facing English Bay. I am standing on the seawall. The photo below shows a couple of crows flying overhead. When the weather and the wind is co-operating, you might even see eagles soaring overhead.

The fresh green growth is really shooting out on the larch trees since I was last in the park two weeks ago as can be seen in the image below.

There is a never ending show of colour it seems when viewing the display from the rhododendrons as can be seen in the last two photos.

Hopefully you have enjoyed the colourful floral display. If you live in the Vancouver area, perhaps you might consider coming out to see the colour while it lasts.

The gardens at Vancouver's Stanley Park revisited

Above is a photo of part of a cherry tree and below are some of those blossoms up close.

Saucer magnolias in bloom just covering a nearby tree.

Below are some rhododendron blossoms up close. I have taken photos of these before and they seem to be holding up quite well despite the rainy weather.

Another rhododendron shrub above and the flowers up close below. My guide books are still packed but I believe this variety may be from Asia. I will have to do some research on that to make certain.

Yet another variety of rhododendron shrub and the flowers up close in the photo below. At the time these photos were taken these flowers were soon to open.

Above is a saucer magnolia one of many in this part of Stanley Park. Below is another close up but not of the blossoms above.

There is another close up of rhododendron blossoms and the same flowers from further back. Notice the magnolia tree in full bloom in the background.

Saucer magnolia blossoms up close in the above photo and flowers plus new growth on a larch tree in the image below.

Can you guess what flower that is in the above photo? Well, it's the flower belonging to the skunk cabbage. The plant gets its name from the odour that emimates from it. I hope you have enjoyed these photos and the brief commentary. Expect to see more images as we head into summer.