Last Friday, we finally had a sunny day!  As they love to say in Minnesota, April showers bring May flowers.  However, this year due to an extremely early arrival of Spring, things have played out a little bit differently. The flora that we would normally be seeing in mid-May has come about a month early and is peaking now.

Remember that post I did on the gorgeous Spring flowers I saw last month in Virginia?  Well, those same lovely flowers such as the crab apple and cherry trees, tulips, daffodils and irises are now blooming here.  Even the wonderfully, fragrant purple lilacs are in bloom sweeping a delicious, sweet smell into my house.  The only thing left to come are the peonies.

Given the glorious Spring day on Friday, my daughter Sophia and I decided to visit the nearby Bird Sanctuary and Trial Gardens near Lake Harriet.  Last Spring we had seen a Great Horned Owl and her two babies, nesting up high in a tree.  An amazing site for a city!  I thought we would explore to see if she was there again as I read that these mighty birds often return to the same nest.  She wasn’t.  But the flowers and the trees we saw were definitely worth our visit.

Come, take a walk with us through the gardens.  I hope it brightens your day!

The lovely fountain inside the Rose Garden….a splendid place itself once the roses are in bloom. 

Isn’t this the truth?  A motto to live by.

Ah….how I love these brightly colored flowers. 

Busy bee.

Coming to life and opening to the sun.

I love irises.  So gorgeous. 

Fern unraveling….my favorite picture!

Field of flowers.

Finally….they arrived.

My little lady, Sophia.  (No worries…she did not pick a flower.  This one had fallen on the ground).

Beyond the Rose Garden and Trial Gardens is the Bird Sanctuary which features an array of wild birds, from big to small.  This is where we found the Great Horned Owl and her two babies last spring.  I have also see a Bald Eagle back here along with lots of other small birds.  It is quite peaceful yet a mosquito pit in the heat of our humid summers.

Smile, please!  Say CHEESSSSSSE. 

She definitely keeps me running and on my feet!  Ah….to be young and free once again.

Stay tuned….I will be finishing up on my Guatemala posts.  There are still a few great ones left.  Thanks for reading!