"Lilacs with clouds"

This Spring in Taos we have seen a wonderful array of colorful flowering fruit trees, apples, apricots, and a few peaches. They even survived the early Spring snows with trees now beginning to bare little green nuggets of fruit. Over the past 2 weeks the Lilac bushes and Forsythia shrubs have been in full bloom, along with Tulips, Daffodils, & Grape Hyacinth. Now the large Bearded Iris are blooming and some early Oriental Poppies in all their glory.

Along with all the flowering wild flowers, people have been saying this is the prettiest Spring they've seen in Taos in over 12 years.

 Although there may be 1,000 types of Lilacs, in Taos we tend to see 4 of these, the classic medium colored Lilac, a paler softer Lilac, a deep intense almost purple Lilac color, and a white Lilac, which most people plant as a group with the medium colored bush.

 All over Taos you'll find Lilacs blooming at this time of year, a real treat for your eyes and nose. 

 Stop and listen you may hear buzzing bees, and chirping birds, I love the sounds of the Red Winged Blackbirds as they fly from bush to bush with their trill voices calling to one another.

 Now today being May 8, 2012, and the Lilac Festival dates being May 17-June 3, 2013 I won't make any promises for next year for these dates, I say come early, the first week of May which has been prime viewing for our spectacular flowering Lilac shrubs. 

(Please note: last year very few lilacs bloomed due to an extreme lack of moisture)

 In Ranchos de Taos & Llano Quemado there are Lilacs everywhere!

 "Soft lilac coloring at the Taos Art Museum"

 I took this shot of Lilacs in the sunshine growing over a fence nearby, the house where these are located has painted purple doors and window frames!

 "Storm over Lilacs"

 Ooooh, I wonder what Lilac Honey would bee like???

 "Bunches of Clouds and Lilacs"

 "Lilac with Horno (adobe bread oven)"

 "White Lilacs with soft color" 

Are they still Lilacs if they are white?

 A vase of Lilacs on your Dining room table or on your Bureau will add a lovely fresh fragrance of the outdoors to the room. Remember to ask first if you are picking a bouquet from a bush that is not yours.

 I took most of these photographs on a 1.2 mile walk from my home in Llano Quemado to the Ranchos Plaza, there's a lovely group of bushes here by the Church and in the backyard of our store Two Graces Plaza Gallery.

As children we would suck the sweet nectar from as many of these little flowers as we could!

Get out and enjoy the lilacs!!!