"I also opened up a sac which held many dandelion buds maturing , awesome never seen that before!"

Not sure what you mean????

As for Penstemons - they are so lovely. A friend had a lovely electric blue one last year. I've only grown the pinks purples and the native P. digitalis. I love flowers that make spikes - Penstemons, Digitalis, Salvias etc..

Happy Spring!

At the base of the dandelions tucked close to the soils surface and at the crown is a development of many buds getting ready to break through an egg of thin papery like pupae. Totally awesome to come up on. i would think that these buds would be when the greens would be the sweetest and best eatin'.

Yummy - Spring greens are the best. We used to harvest the first daylily shoots and milkweed shoots and young buds too.

The leaves have gone from just barely unfurling to fully out on many trees down here in NJ. The daffodils are finishing or midway depending on variety. My viburnum is blooming and lilacs are almost at peak. And my wisteria is getting ready to bloom - which reminds me I have to go look for Princess tree blooms soon. It is one of my favorites.
Happy spring!