Spring has Sprung

Our trees are starting to bloom everywhere! This photo is the blooms on our Bradford Pear tree.

I've heard this tree called a Royal Empress Tree.   I looked it up and also noticed it called the Princess Tree.  Click on this link if you would like to know a little history of the tree.

Most people don't like these trees because they are considered an invasive tree.  My uncle told us of how hard it was for him to eradicate these trees around his place.  I believe Shane's grandpa intentionally planted these trees to shade the old chicken house because they grow so quickly.  I can tell you that if you allow the goats after them, they will kill them for sure.  There's something about the bark of this tree that they love. They've killed all but a few left around the end of the barn.  They will eat the leaves, the seeds, and the bark.  It's like candy to them. 

I wish you could smell the sweet fragrance in the air put off from the blooms of this tree.  Reminds me of honeysuckles. 

With everything blooming and filling the air with a sweet aroma, it's also filling the air with pollen.  It seems like this spring we've had a pollenstorm!  Everything around here is covered with a yellow dust.  I even noticed our calves had powdered their noses with it.

It was looking like a promising spring about 2 weeks ago.  Warm temperatures, flowers blooming, gentle warm breezes......but I walked out my door this morning to find the temps being 29 degrees.  Hard to believe it's freezing like this in the deep south at the end of March. 

frosty

I hope this means that the spring-like temperatures will last longer into June since the winter-like temperatures have been sticking around so late.  I'm not going to hold my breath for that, though!  It will be hot and humid before we know it, so I  guess I should enjoy the cooler temps. I've always said that in the colder weather you can wear many layers of clothing to keep warm, but in the summer there are only so many layers of clothing you can remove before you will get arrested!