Lucia in double-time

some of you might remember this lovely lady...if you were hanging with me last June, you remember when she was transplanted in our yard as part of the toy forest. This is Lucia, named for a friend's child and she's a larch (the tree, not the child), an interesting little tree that sheds its needles every fall and then regrows them in the spring in little tufts. right now she's looking a little bare...

the springtime unfurling of leaves is a special obsession of mine, and the speed of springtime in fairbanks never ceases to amaze me. so here's my proof: watch this blog over the next few days and weeks to see Lucia's progress through spring in double-time. we are by now enjoying about 17 hours of daylight and all that sunshine makes our plants happily grow at unbelievable rates. we actually like to watch grass grow; in Fairbanks, it can be quite a show! blink your eyes, and you might miss the greening of Fairbanks.

Today is May 8 and the tiny beginnings of her needle tufts are started to peek out...