Florals by Green Bouquet Floral Design,  CA

 SUNDAY, MAY 11TH

Send early for Mother’s Day!

Juno, an 11-year-old beluga whale at Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Conn., perfectly timed this snapshot behind newlyweds Amanda and Patrick Leigh.

The happy couple, who are self-proclaimed animal lovers, didn’t plan the whale’s amazingly executed photobomb, but sure are glad he was in the right place at the right time to capture his smile on camera.

“That was just a lucky photo,” Amanda Leigh, 27, of West Haven, Conn., told GoodMorningAmerica.com. “We were down in front of the aquarium taking pictures. We paused to fix the dress and the whale happened to come over. My husband and I looked behind us and he was right there, like, ‘Hello.’”

“We never in a million years thought this would be anything,” she explained. “But we used it as our Christmas card and everyone loves it.”

Florals by B|Brooks member Fiore of Pensacola, FL.

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.

The Earth Day Network works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement.  More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.

Fox photo by Sweetmart.

Other images, photographer unknown.

This year, Passover begins April 14th and ends April 22nd.  The beginning of the holiday is marked by The Seder, a ritual  feast performed by a community or by multiple generations of a family, involving a retelling of the story of the Exodus as described in the Hebrew Bible especially in the Book of Exodus.

Traditionally, families and friends gather in the evening to read the text of the Haggadah, an ancient work derived from the Mishnah.  The Haggadah contains the narrative of the Israelite exodus from Egypt, special blessings and rituals, commentaries from the Talmud and special Passover songs.

Florals by bbrooks member Floral Art in Venice, CA.

Easter is Sunday, April 20, this year.

Easter, the greatest feast day in the Christian calendar, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Easter is a moveable feast, which means that it does not occur on the same date every year.   The Easter Bunny tradition originates  from German Lutherans.  Bunnies also just happen to be very cute!

Ink & watercolor drawing “Through the Backyards”, at left, by Catherine Campbell.

A stunning floral motif is the focus of this Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda layout found in Vogue Germany April 2104.

Floral and Fine Jewelry headpieces are featured in this dreamy fashion layout, which was photographed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, outside London.

Styled by Amanda Ross. Photographed by Sarah Maingot. As seen in March/April 2014 issue of Departures magazine.

Cesar Chavez was born Monday, March 31st in Yuma, Arizona.

Chavez became the best known Latino American civil rights activist.  In the 1970s, His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers’ struggle a moral cause with nationwide support.

Although it is not a federal holiday, President Barack Obama proclaims March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day in the United States, with Americans being urged to observe this day with appropriate service, community, and educational programs to honor Cesar Chavez’s enduring legacy.

Cesar Chavez Day is a state holiday in California, Colorado and Texas.

The recent state dinner with French President Francois Hollande was full of the standard White House traditions that serve to highlight the very best of our country’s culture and culinary.

However, this state dinner was notably different.  Something special, subtle and important happened.

The Obama White House decided to ensure that the flowers presented at the center of the table would be as fresh, sustainable and as American as the food that would be served to their special guests.

The floral arrangements displayed at the dinner included:

Flowering quince branch – Mississippi; Weeping Willow – South New Jersey; Scotch Broom -Virginia; Iris (blue and purple) – California; Alocasia – Apopka, FL and Zellwood, FL; Equisetum, Nandina and Green Liriope – East coast FL, De Leon Springs.

As seen at americasflowers.org.