ついこの間まで庭先に雪があったと思ったら、もう初夏になってしまいました。4月末までは時々雪も降り気温も低く、ぐずぐずと冬が続いている感じがしますが、5月も連休が過ぎてやっと冬タイヤを交換し春の訪れを感じられるようになります。コブシの白い花が咲き、庭の花壇では色んな種類の水仙が花をつけます。裏のスモモが小さな白い花をいっぱい咲かせて木の下では蜂たちの低い羽音のうなりが心地よく響きます。すかっと晴れた快晴の朝には木の下に椅子を持ちだしコーヒーを飲みながら風に吹かれ新聞を読むのが至福のひととき。
その後も、サンザシの花、イヌリンゴの花が咲き、ちょっと小ぶりの黒いアゲハ蝶やマルハナ蜂達が花から花へ忙しく飛び回ります。今年はアゲハの数が多く、一つの木に数十匹のアゲハが群がる光景はちょっと見ものです。これらの花が終わると、今度はラベンダーやルピナスが花をつけます。昨年秋に種まきしたアネモネも色んな色の花を咲かせてます。昨年は鹿に踏まれて死にそうだった芝桜も今年は元気に葉を伸ばして花をつけてます。
これから鹿の季節になってきます。もうすでに夜間に庭に侵入してきており、闘いが始まりました。ルピナスの花芽もいくつか食べられてしまっています。なんとかルピナスがたくさん咲くようにしたいなあ。
I thought there was snow in my garden just the other day, but it's already early summer now. Until the end of April, it sometimes snowed and the temperature was below freezing, and I felt like winter was still continuing, but after the holidays in May, I could finally feel the coming of spring by changing winter tires. White Kobushi flowers bloom and various kinds of daffodils bloom in the flower bed of the garden. The plum in the backyard blooms full of little white flowers, and beneath the tree the low growls of the bees echo pleasantly. On a clear, sunny morning, it is a blissful moment to take a chair under the tree, drink coffee and read a newspaper. After that, hawthorn flowers and plum-leaved apple flowers bloom, and small black swallowtail butterflies and Bumblebees busily fly from flower to flower. This year, there are many swallowtail butterflies, and the sight of dozens of swallowtail butterflies swarming around one tree is fantastic sight. After these flowers are over, lavender and lupine flower bloom. The anemone planted last fall also blooms various colors. Moss phlox, which almost died from being stepped on by deer last year, is growing its leaves and putting flowers this year. It's going to be deer season. They had already entered the garden at night, and the battle began. Some of the flower buds of lupine have been eaten.