Friday Flowers: Wild and White

Chokecherry bush along the Grand River

May has rushed by very quickly and each day has presented something new to admire in the spring lineup. I have taken many pictures on my walks of birds and trees and rivers and flowers. The domestic fruit trees have almost finished flowering but the wild shrubs and bushes along the river are just coming to their peak of bloom. These pictures were taken along one of my favourite trails at the confluence of the Speed and Grand Rivers.

Chokecherry Blossoms

Flowering shrubs protect many small birds and will provide important fruit later in the season. The river along with the many fruit-bearing shrubs on its banks make this a great area for birding. I like Chokecherry blossoms with their elegant white spikes of flowers.

Dogwood in bloom

Dogwood is beautiful in all seasons, even in the winter when the red stems stand out against the snow. I would like to plant Dogwood in my yard, but our soil is far to dry and sandy.

Hawthorn Blossoms

The thorns on the Hawthorn bushes are impressively long and sharp. I often see small sparrows, warblers and kinglets hidden among the protective spikes.

I had posted a picture of this tight purple bud last month. I have looked at many guides and internet pages and tried unsuccessfully and identify this shrub.


This is what it looks like now as it grows on the edges of the woods. Does anyone recognize it?

Wildflower identification can be a challenge. These flowers look like Field Chickweed, but the leaves do not match the description given. They are very pretty nevertheless.

We are taking our first week of "summer" vacation starting this weekend and I will be taking a break from blogging. I will look forward to catching up with my blog roll later!