Spring

Old city gate in Piazza Beccaria, graced by a stately magnolia bovolata tree in bloom. And a bit of fencing here and there, of course :) HFF everyone!

These days the majestic magnolia bovolata tree in Piazza Beccaria has dozens of people circling it every morning, with their phones up in the air trying to capture a bit of spring on their way to work. PIP

Several generations enjoy the last of the sunlight at Villa Vogel park, with a clump of trees in the center bearing spring blooms and a nearby platanus tree still bearing its round seed heads from last fall.

Springtime fences - HFF everyone!

A Japanese quince bush all dressed up in its fiery red spring color. I love the waxy texture and showy hardiness of these flowers. These grow right up against a garden fence on the street side, which allowed me to stick my camera between the fence posts and take a close up of a group of blossoms surrounded by a sea of their siblings.

Spring doing its bit of magic on an otherwise very common, humble fence. The yellow inflorescences that you see sprinkled around are from a nearby mimosa tree that got its blooming foreshortened by the cold spell we have been having.

A blooming mimosa bush in a city neighbourhood. Just a greeting to all my sisters out there on this day that celebrates our sacrifices and our contribution to a society that still too often does not afford us equal rights or equal pay.

Spring is by far my favorite time of the year and being confined at home at this time is undeniably a bummer. But really I should not complain, since I am one of the lucky ones who have a garden where I can still enjoy glimpses of Nature's awakening. Here's a still life of the colorful finds I collected in the garden yesterday. Have a good week, everyone.

On my neighbour's tree, the yearly miracle of green life reawakening. Here's hoping virus-embattled Italy (and the rest of the world) can beat back this deadly, invisible enemy. Have a good day everyone. Help protect the grandpas and grandmas and other vulnerable people: Stay at Home!

Dappled sunlight on the unfolding rosettes of hydrangea leaves in my garden.

I have two "volunteer" fig trees in the garden. I love how their new leaves gradually unfurl in the spring. It took a few days for this one to open up.

I thought that with a little help from the sunlight even my commonplace garden fence could be made a bit more interesting. So, here's looking through the garden fence at new ivy shoots on my neighbour's tree and a grid of fence shadows. In the PIP just another angle, obtained by sticking the nose of my camera through the fence. Coronavirus or not, have a Happy Fence Friday, everybody!

This rose bush grows where we laid to rest our beloved cat, Virgola. The tree canopies grew thicker since then and this spot by the old wall no longer gets much sun, but the bush faithfully puts out its new shoots every year and I liked the contrast between its bright colors and the faded old paint on the wall.

A delicate rosette of new leaves on one of my hydrangeas. I rescued this particular plant from a neighbouring garden when the owner died suddenly and her beloved plants were left to fend for themselves in the summer heat. It took me a while to locate the heirs and secure their permission to take care of her plants, so at that point many were beyond saving. This one was so far gone, I almost didn't take it, but now I am glad I tried anyways. It made a nice come back and, while it still suffers from chlorosis (hence the light color that works well in black and white), we are working on it :)

The plant, leaves and fruit look very much like wild strawberry. Only the bright yellow flower gives it away (as would, of course, your disappointed taste buds if you put the fruit in your mouth expecting a strawberry experience ...) as a different plant, a "mock strawberry". They are just starting to flower now and part of my half-wild garden is beginning to light up with these tiny yellow suns nestled in their artsy green crown.

Just more fooling around in the garden with the empty snail shells and the new leaves.

Looking up at my neighbour's tree beginning to fill out its canopy with new leaves and blossom clusters tall enough to reach up into the evening sunlight.

A couple of days of gusting winds knocked off the inflorescences from a neighbour's tree and they ended up getting caught in all sorts of places around the garden. I was fascinated by their colors and shape and took a few photos (see also pips). If anyone knows what this tree is called, I would very much appreciate the info!