Our late winter in southern Virginia made our spring very short, but very dear. The flowers have been bursting forth, all too quickly they seem to disappear again.

The flowering cherry tree in front of our house is a perfect example. The photo at right was taken the first day the blossoms appeared. They are not all there yet, but the tree went from a hint of buds one day to about 50% covered in flowers the next, then in full bloom the third day. Only a few days later (or so it seemed), the petals were raining down on the grass, and the tree was turning to green leaves.

Meanwhile, a sociable family of American Robins have built a nest on one of the cherry’s lower branches and shrieks mightily at anyone who ventures too close.