I flew up to Chicago for the weekend again. Worked on cleaning out my parents home and saw the Police in concert. More on the latter later this week. I love looking at the different cloud formations when I fly. There's just something about looking down at clouds, it seems like there is a greater variety up in the sky than from out usual vantage point here on terra ferma.

It's officially spring as our backyard garden begins to bloom. First out, the Emerald Blue Creeping Phlox (phlox subulata) shows its stuff.

Creeping Phlox is a beautiful early spring accent for any garden. We have it under all of our Crape Myrtles.

Our back yard is a regular Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom.

Recently a hawk came to perch on our fence which I wouldn't have thought much about except for the fact that our backyard is also the home of the annual baby bunny brigade.

This little guy is only about five inches long and has one or two siblings. Hard to tell for sure...they're a little shy.

If I had known I'd only have to wait two and one-half years before I'd get someone to do my watering for me, I would of had kids a long time ago.

The day lilies in our backyard garden are doing incredibly well.

Our garden bunny is back...with a friend. As I approached to take photos, one rabbit immediately took flight while this one opted for the defense of freeze and maybe I won't be seen. Somehow I get the feeling we might have more rabbits later this summer.

This is the before picture of this year's garden project.

Fortunately, I had a lot of help from Drew. Together, we installed a cement brick boarder which matches the retaining wall around the rest of the garden (a little of which can be seen in the far right of the top and bottom pictures).

Then we planted (from left to right) four Hosta Tardiana Halcyons (Funkia, Plantain Lily), one Zuni Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia Indica X Fauriei), three Gulf Stream Nandinas (Nandina Domestica) and five Patriot Hostas (Hosta Fortunei).

We still want to plant some Emerald Blue Creeping Phlox (Phlox Subulata) under the Crape Myrtle but the nursery was out of them. They flower in the spring and that's when people are most likely to buy them, so that's when the nursery carries them. Also, between the Nandinas and the Patriot Hostas we want to put a Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) but we are evaluating the amount of shade the spot receives first.

I know what I'll be doing this weekend...

During the day, when I'm thinking of other things, things that might make a decent blog post come to my mind. Now, at home, sitting in front of the computer...I'm blank.

So...I pop open one of my to-be-blogged folders and find the below unknown orchid (Orchidaceae Incognitum) that I photographed last year at the Four Seasons in Dallas.

I wanted to post two last photos of our Autumn Blaze Maples (Acer X Freemanii) changing colors for the fall. But other than the pretty colors, I wasn't too excited about the photos and figured, if I wasn't too excited, then anyone else viewing them would be completely unimpressed. So, I mixed them up a little which I, at least, like a little better.

If you are curious what the pictures looks like unscrambled click on "Continue reading."

Some leaves from one of our Autumn Blaze Maples (Acer X Freemanii). A cultivar of red and silver maples, the patented Autumn Blaze Maple has brilliant orange-red color, dense and healthy branching, and vigorous growth that protects from insects and disease. But, most importantly, it has "superior crotch angles" and that is always a good thing.

The Stella de Oro Daylily (Hemerocallis) was the first Dwarf Daylily to be created. It's now become incredibly common due to its super-long blooming period and hardy trouble-free nature. And this, of course, is a picture of one from our garden:

While snapping some shots for my flower posts, I came across a moth so I took a picture of it. I was surprised by how well the shot came out; the depth of field, the lighting, the focus, all came out just right. I have no idea what kind of moth it is (illiud latine dici non potest).

Here are some Double Wave Blue Vein Petunias (Petunia) in a planter on our backyard patio:

My sister reminded me that I have not been keeping up with my "weekly" flower posts. So, here is a photo of one of our Zuni Crape Myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica). It's incredibly common in Oklahoma as it very heat and disease tolerant and blooms throughout the summer.

Here is a Ruby Star Coneflower (Echinacea Rubinstern) from our garden:

Finally, to close out today's flurry of postings, due to my working at the computer most of the day and needing an occasional break: the view from our backyard patio.

I think I might try and post a weekly flower shot from our garden or some other place of interest. This week's offering from our garden is the Little Business Daylily (Hemerocallis) which actually looks a lot more like an Autumn Red Daylily. All I know is that Little Business was the name on the pot and, in this case, was what the person at the nursery called it.