Green Beaks and Buds

I've seen quite a few Evening Grosbeaks this week in my back yard. Their cream-coloured bills in winter turn green in the spring to blend in with tree buds, leaves and spruce needles.




The first buds in my yard are from the Mayday tree.

Following close behind are the Lilacs. In fact the Lilac buds in this picture are from a branch that we pruned last fall. It was a large branch, and I used it for a Halloween decoration for a while - stuck it in the ground and hung cobwebs and ghosts from it. Then, all winter, the branch lay on its side in the front yard. Earlier this week, I was going to bring it to the Transfer Station to be chipped, but I noticed there were some buds on it. Lilacs are tough! I cut some smaller branches off and put them in a pail of water. Hopefully they'll root and I'll plant more incredibly tough Lilacs.