Shelter in Place March

Santa Cruz Mountains

While we’re sheltering in place, nature is carrying on as usual. The flowering quince in my yard flourishes as always in March, oblivious to human activity.

My neglected Spanish lavender volunteer loves the rain it’s been receiving. Drought tolerant and hardy, it’s also a contented water consumer in wetter times.

Some consider Bermuda Buttercup (oxalis) a weed, but I love seeing it come up in odd spots every spring. The annual show will end when the rains stop.

A packet of annual pollinator seeds produced a perennial calendula, which has bloomed all through the winter. Its sunny face is a welcome addition to the garden.

My earliest purple lilacs are completing their bloom, while this later and darker variety is just getting started. In a week its fragrance will be heavenly.

White lilacs are popping out in yards all over the neighborhood. Their heady scent is everywhere, wafting about in the fresh spring air day and night. 

Pansies are apparently delectable, according to some unknown insects in my neighbor’s yard. The bright pansy faces remind me of my grandmother’s garden.

I’ve never seen nor even imagined such a plant. Sheltering in place made me a better observer of small and ephemeral details, discovering new beauty in familiar places.