Tangled Branches: Cultivated
happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Firsts
There have been a lot of first-of-the-season events over the last week.
First dragonfly. Same kind as last year.
First hummingbird. It buzzed right by my head on its way to __? Somewhere else.
First singing wood thrush.
I think - think - I head the kowp-kowp-kowp of a yellow-billed cuckoo on Saturday morning, but it was hard to be sure with the flock of noisy blue jays all around.
First time I noticed the lovely scent of 'Rainbow Loveliness'. I decided to pick a tiny bouquet for the house before the rain ruined the flowers, brought it up to my nose expecting a spicy carnation-like scent, and instead got .... lilacs? That's how it smelled to me anyway. Not at all dianthus-y, but sweet and strong.
First bizarre-o insect of the year. Moth larva? I have no idea.
4 Comments:
I know it's hard to tell, but your bluejay appears to be much smaller than ours in Michigan. Interesting.
Jane Marie: Maybe it looks smaller because the crest isn't raised? There was a flock of them in the woods last weekend - I think they must be migrating through.
Ah, rainbow loveliness - this is the best scent in the world to me. It is different from other dianthus - it has more of a haunting, lingering scent. I hadn't associated the scent with lilacs before. I'll be awaiting the blooming of mine (about 10 plants have returned this spring so far).
Kate: Hmmmm, what to compare the scent to then? My first thought was that it was like an old-fashioned scented soap, but that didn't seem quite right either. I wonder if the different colors have different scents? So far only the pink one is in bloom.
I only had a few plants of 'Rainbow Loveliness' last year, but I think they all survived the winter - even the one the rabbits chewed to the ground. I just assumed they were annuals - don't know why.
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