It has a lot of names–creeping charlie, ground ivy, gill-over-the-ground. It’s a weed. But its tiny, delicate, detailed flowers are potent enough to turn acres of fields purple soon after the last hard freeze of the year. When Creeping Charlie is fighting the dandelions for space in my backyard, I know it is spring.
Tag Archives: Spring
Sunday Snapshot: Spring Speedwell
For me, one of the most fascinating things about moving into a new home is watching what pops up in the yard once the growing season begins. Our house, a modest folk Victorian, has been standing for 112 years, which means people have been digging and planting in our yard for more than a century.
Despite the possibility of snow this week (snow! in April!), all of the plants–grass, weeds, flowers–are poking their heads through the soil. I noticed today that patches of speedwell are enjoying the damp ground right now, their tiny blue striped petals tilting toward the sky.
Hatched in Ottawa
On his way home from the high school, Jim discovered that Mama Robin’s nest full of pretty blue eggs has turned into a a nest full of hungry little birds. Photo by Jim Deane.
Spring in Ottawa
A very angry robin yelled at me the entire time I was trying to take this shot outside of Ottawa High School.