Fire hydrants and flowers

I am astounded by the colours of spring here. It really is like another planet - the variety the colour - and plants bursting into into flower with the warmer weather. It's a joy of sight. And the bees suddenly appear - and the bumble ones. Having this experience I can't say spring in Australia is a true spring - but more like an idea of what spring is in a country where spring never really existed... Along with buds and blossoms I am enamoured of the quintessential American fire hydrant. They don't grow in Australia either. My friend tells me the white stick thing attached to the hydrant is to indicate that there is a fire hydrant there when the snow is covering it.

And here are an endless array of buds, blossoms and fully fetched flowers captured in my wanderings.