Late spring/early summer snow

It was nearly 90 degrees today, so why is there snow on the edge of my driveway?

Well, it is not really snow. It is fluff from the poplar cottonwood trees in our yard. We have 3 giant poplar trees, and there are a lot more of them in the neighborhood. This time of the year it can look like a blizzard as the fluff floats in the air and collects in piles on the lawns. As you walk by it is so light that it swirls about your feet.

A good rain shower will take care of it, and soon enough it will be just a memory, until next year.

That can't be good

At first glance this looks like a pretty nice building. Not sure what it is... a garage, a house, a barn, a storage building?

But if you look closer you will see that it is coming apart at the seams. The front wall is actually separating from the rest of the building. Not sure how long this structure will continue to stand.

Dinner guest

Sitting down to our first warm weather dinner on the back screen porch I noticed a surprise guest. This butterfly seemed to come from nowhere. I do not know how it could have gotten inside the screen, but it certainly did.

We see quite a few monarch butterflies here but I do not recall ever seeing this color and design before. I tried to search and find what species it was, but there are hundreds of possibilities and I finally gave up deciding only to enjoy seeing this beautiful animal before letting him escape to the outdoors.

Swan lake

Or should I say swan pond?

A few days ago I noticed this pair of swans gliding about the pond in Ellison Park. This morning they looked at ease enjoying the cool morning mist.

These birds usually pair for life and stay together thoughout the seasons, even when migrating. Unlike ducks and geese, male swans help in building the nest and assist in incubating the eggs. They are along the largest flying birds with wing spans up to 10 feet.

Rainbow on the stairs

With only slight exposure enhancement this is really how it looked.

We have a beveled glass swag light above our front entry (no, not a crystal chandelier) and when the sunlight hits it just right late in the day we get an amazing prism demonstration on the stairway.

Love those colors... all of them.

Spring snow

The calendar says May 9th. And if you look closely you will see snow streaming down from the heavens!

A few days ago it was in the mid 80's. At the moment it is 34F.

As we say in western New York... if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes.

Whipped cream clouds

The sky continues to fascinate me. Leaving work I look up to see what appears to be waves of fluffy desert topping.

Contrast

Today I have two views of the same thing. Here is a photo of the white blossoms on our crab apple tree. I took this early in the day, shooting up into the morning sky. The blossoms look almost translucent and the overall feeling is bright and light.

When I returned home late in the day I took the reverse angle in the evening sun. This time we are looking back and into the dark green of the other trees. The mood is very different.

So this is a study in contrast... the same white blossoms but in contrasting situations.