Naked One Day, Clothed The Next

I am amazed at how quickly nature moves once spring is in the air. I have named today’s Blip “Naked One Day, Clothed the Next”. A strange title I know. But I photographed almost the same scene just yesterday morning. It was foggy yesterday and the image looked quite atmospheric. You will see that the willow tree in yesterday’s image looked quite naked with no sign of life let alone leaves.
It rained all day today and the hills were obscured by low cloud. Different but not all that exciting. But the willow….. Well…it is no longer naked….it is clothed in buds which promise the emergence of leaves. So naked yesterday and clothed today!
The white flowering shrub in the foreground is Tagasaste or Tree Lucerne. It flowers throughout the winter and is smothered in tiny creamy-white flowers which have a delicate perfume. Bumble bees love this shrub. The bright yellow trees on the hills in the background are wattles which are bursting into flower all around the district.
We are delighted to have some rain at last as it has been becoming very dry throughout the district. It is gentle warm rain which is soaking into the ground very nicely.