Camas Lily and Growing Things

My sister Denise and I volunteered at Multnomah Falls yesterday and I was happy to see that the Camas Lily was in bloom.. it's just starting but it was so pretty that on I pulled over and parked on the side of the road and walked over and snapped some photos.  The local native people used this as an important food source, they would dig the bulb and cook it in their stews.

There is this mossy hillock where they bloom every year.

I raised my iPhone (my camera battery went dead after I took some photos at the falls) up high so you could see the Columbia River and Washington state across the river.  Soon there will be way more flowers here.

I love the blue and lavender color of these flowers.

As we headed home after securing the visitor center and locking up - there is a spot where I always admire the light on the river and yesterday the sun was sparkling away on the water and there was a hint of sunset colors in the sky.  I opened my sun roof on the car and held my iPhone up high and hoped to capture the pretty image -- a bit of cropping and here you have it.

During our shift in the Visitors Center - I offered to go get some coffees for us - one of the perks (ha) of volunteering is we get our coffees for $1.  Denise gets a latte and I get a mocha.  While the barista was preparing our java I hiked up to the viewing plaza and got my shot of the falls for the day.  :-)  See how the trees are budding out and everything is greening up?

From where I take my photo - to the right is a little waterfall gurgling down the hillside.. the mosses certainly like all the moisture and mist.  

As I walked down from the plaza I noticed these tiny licorice ferns growing out of the cracks in the stone wall.

Further on I saw a Sword Fern starting to unfurl.

This morning I went on a walkabout to see what was happening in our world and snapped this photo of my orchid in the garden bay window - I've been so pleased that it re-bloomed for me as I've had a couple of orchids in the past which after their first bloomed never put out another flower.

This Lady Fern is a "volunteer" in one of our deck pots.

I've been keeping an eye out on this rose bud - it's a "Double Delight" - a very pretty and fragrant rose - if you only have room for ONE rose - this should be the one.  This is the earliest rose to bloom on our farm.. ever.  

I went to our front walkway garden to check the progress of the Lily-of-the-Valley and it's almost ready to pick for a bouquet.. I may miss my LofV bouquets while I'm gone to New Orleans.  :-(

The apple blossoms are profuse!

See what I mean?  I worry about all these early blooms as there haven't been bees to pollinate the flowers.  

I walked back near our little creek and the Japanese red maple is all leafed out and is even putting out it's little seeds with wings called a "samara".

On further down I saw a patch of Forget-Me-Nots among the Rose Campion.

Our garden is pretty wild.. we wait and see what it plans to do each year.  :-)  And you know what?  It does a pretty good job of things!  I am delivering my 10 baby hats to Taci in a few hours, then off to swim with Gracie.  This weekend I will be packing for my trip to New Orleans.. I hope everything fits in one carryon suitcase!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)