Spring, Splendid Spring

 The signs of Spring are everywhere around me...

The hostas planted last year are appearing

and the lilies have multiplied.

This is the very first bloom of the season.

A few thistles have shown up in the back yard,

along with a variety of wildflowers.

Pine cones are developing and new growth has appeared on the shrubs.

Frogs have come out of their winter hibernation

and birds are gathering nesting materials.

I'm thankful for the season and the new life it brings, 

and I'm enjoying the longer days.

"When the world is filled with sunlight, brighter and longer, 

when the song of Mother Nature becomes stronger and stranger,

Spring has begun".  ~ Camille Gotera

Porch Critters

Good afternoon everyone!  It's a great Saturday for me- I'm off work! Yipeeee! I did do some sweaty yard work this morning- pulling and digging up weeds from my flower beds, but after a nice shower, I'm taking it easy for a little while.  My oldest grandsons are visiting this weekend and my husband cooked a fantastic meal, so I'm a clean, fat and happy grandma right now ;)

I hope your weekend is going well.  Today I'm sharing a few critters that hang around my back porch- 

Southeastern Five-lined Skink- I used to think these were called Salamanders, but I'm not sure why

Cute little frog- not sure of his biological name, just a green frog to me

I love tiny frogs!

This lizard surely appears to be at peace in his surroundings- zzzzzzzzzzzz

An itsy-bitsy spider dangling from the tin roof

Closer view of the itsy-bitsy spider- can anyone identify it? 

A carpenter bee bore a perfect round hole in one of my porch beams.  

I knew nothing about carpenter bees until I saw them drilling holes in my porch beams. During some research, I learned the difference between bumble bees and carpenter bees- most importantly, one will destroy your home while the other one watches.  We plan to seal the holes and put a finish on the porch wood soon (we just built the porch about 6 to 7 months ago).  

Thank you for visiting!

Linking with our friendly hostess Eileen at Saturday's Critters