We're nearing the end of February. It's still winter, although the weather has been warm and rainy. For a couple of days, we had high temperatures near 80 degrees. The plants in the arboretum are making the transition from winter to spring.

During the fall and early winter we had drought conditions. Now the ground is soggy.

We do not typically see turtles in the arboretum.

We didn't bother the turtle too much; just enough for a photo shoot.

We see new leaves of the Georgia holly (Ilex longipes).

Red maples (Acer rubrum) produce red flowers, followed by red fruits. From a distance we can really appreciate the color. Here we have the immature fruits.

Shy trillium has been popping up for a couple of weeks. It hasn't bloomed yet.

We can always count on the redbud (Cercis canadensis) to provide some late winter color.