Maybe Spring Will Arrive???

 The temperatures are supposed to be near the normal range the first weekend in May and the following week. Sure. We have a road trip planned so no work in the flower bed when the weather finally cooperates with the calendar. I did take a look at the perennial flower bed before we left for our May adventure. Things are beginning to make an appearance above ground. The two inches of rain we had the weekend before certainly helped! And now if we get a little sunshine and warmer temps...

the pasque bloomed this week

YEA! the peony survived

two red shoots

the rhubarb plant has made progress

the neighborhood rabbits are enjoying the tulips 

another perennial flower

unknown at this time

and another orange flower

and another

It will be interesting to see what else might appear by when we get back mid-month. 

And then there is this questionable activity on the hillside. These dirt mounds appear mostly on our hillside and mostly within our lot lines. There were maybe 3 of them last summer, but many more appeared over the winter. There is no visible hole. The soil is very soft where the animal has decided to build/dig. Any ideas as to what might be doing this? 

I grew up on a farm and I know what a pocket gopher is. This is NOT their type of dwelling and there is no hole. Moles? Voles? The mounds are killing the little bit of grass that does grow on the hillside. (One of these is also in the flower bed where the delphinium is supposed to be.) The hillside produces lots of thistles and dandelion plants and other weeds we don't want in the lawn. I carry on quite a battle with the hillside flora in the summer. And now I can add an unknown animal to the list of resident fauna.