Spring is Here!

The first Trillium of the season says it all ;-) This sweet, somewhat slug-eaten beauty is Trillium ovatum also known as Western (or Pacific)Trillium. It blooms very early in the spring, and I've been keeping my eyes open for the first one. Today I saw it at the Tualatin Hills Nature Center, where I often go to walk. I got in a good, long walk today - 2 1/2 miles. It was sunny and cool, and a bit breezy, but I got warm enough to take off my jacket. You can see the shrubs (most likely Oemleria cerasiformis or Osoberry) with their pale new growth glowing in the sunlight in the extra.

I spent the afternoon puttering around the garden, filling new pots with soil and generally getting my hands very dirty!