Transitions

In the past week, Vancouver has shifted from winter to spring, a relatively fast process, thanks to torrential rains. The white snowbanks in our back yard turned into green lawn within about three days. The ice on the streets vanished, and on my walks, I'm seeing banks of snowdrops, crocuses in bloom, and today, daffodils.

Such a contrast to the East Coast, where a niece-in-law who lives in Monckton, N.B., recently posted Facebook photos of the latest of many heavy snowstorms there this winter. (CBC says Monckton has had a total of 120 cms of snow so far this month.) Karen's photo showed one of her children peeking out of a domed snow fort so substantial it looked like a proper igloo. I wonder how many days of rain it would take to melt a structure like that?

Here are photos of Vancouver's relatively quick transition from winter to spring, taken over the past week:

A week ago, in VanDusen Botanical Garden, these statutes of herons were frozen in lake ice. 

These three signature trees stand out even more in the garden when the landscape is all white and black.

The arch into the rose garden reveals very dormant rose bushes within their enclosing hedges. 

Still at the VanDusen Garden, snow marks the mounds of brown gunnera leaves. 

When the rain began, melting snow left puddles in parks and along sidewalks. 

A puddle in the rain in the middle of a park I cross often.

With the snow all gone, the leftovers from last year's garden still provide some interest. Berries in the foreground, dry hydrangea flowers behind. 

This little mound of snowdrops was looking particularly happy in the sunshine. 

A drift of snowdrops by a picket fence. 

Crocuses are starting to emerge all over the city now. 

A bank of those yellow spring flowers I still haven't found the name for.

The pink of hellebores getting ready to rise for this spring's showing. 

Camellias are in bloom in many bushes around the city. 

Heather and snowdrops make a nice combination.

And the yellow flowers I do know -- daffodils at last!