Almost like magic, every  year in about the middle of March, spring comes to life in and around Lake Norman North Carolina.  I love each stage for each one has its own star and cast of players as if we watch mother nature writing her annual play.

The very first to brave the coming of spring are our bulbs, particularly daffodils.  Almost overnight you can see them sprouting up around mailboxes, nestled under trees and in gardens.  Our March 1st snow caught my daffodils off guard but didn’t deter them for very long.

 Forsythia is the next flowering plant to make their entrance.  It is said that when Forsythia bloom it is time to put the pre-emergent on our fescue lawns to fight off the summer weeds.

At just about the same time, the first of the blossoming trees seem to come out over night. From cherry to pear to peach and apples, they don’t last very long but as one variety turns to green another variety blossoms so it is beautiful and yet different every day.

After last week’s weather in the 70′s the roses are beginning to leaf out and buds are growing  on our Dogwoods, Maples,and most other large trees.

Another early character on the scene are the prolific daylilies.  They start to pop up about the same time as the daffodils but take longer to grow and bloom

Today, just two days after I took most of these photos the first of the dogwoods are beginning to bloom.  Wild dogwood trees are often scattered underneath large pines and hardwood trees so when they bloom the contrast is spectacular! 

This photo of the flowering Dogwoods was taken last April. 

 As you can see, on Monday the trees were just beginnng to come out and the fescue lawn is back to being a brilliant green!  In less than a month all of the trees around Lake Norman will be out.  The shorelines will once again be a lush green.  Then it is time for the magnificant azaleas to bloom which is an extraordinary site in the South!  I love all of our mild but well defined seasons but I have to admit spring in our Lake Norman area of North Carolina is, well, awesome!

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