In the dreary and cold days of January and February, I always have something special to look forward to: returning to the Luberon in May for our Luberon Experience groups.

I love the Luberon at any time of year, but I especially enjoy being there in May and June. It’s such a colorful time of year! Provence awakens from winter in an explosion of color, as if Mother Nature opened her paintbox and brushed all the colors over her personal paradise.

The bright blue sky, the fresh green grass… and most of all, the flowers! I love the flowers in May and June. Over a hundred years ago, the French Impressionist artists came to Provence to paint, inspired by the light and the color. They painted the iris, the poppies, the sunflowers… the same flowers that have us reaching for cameras and sketchbooks today.

I especially love the entire fields of vibrant color: poppies in May and early June, followed by sunflowers and lavender, usually by mid June.

Enjoy this preview of the glorious Luberon we enjoy in May and June, thanks to Nature’s Paintbrush.

Daisies and poppies near Roussillon

The vineyard comes to life at Chateau la Canorgue

Valerian wildflowers at La Louve garden in Bonnieux

Roussillon – the most colorful village in Provence

A colorful walk through Oppede-le-Vieux

Sunflowers near Apt

Iris near the falaise at Lioux

Lavender fields below Bonnieux

Countryside between Bonnieux and Lacoste

Early evening near Bonnieux

Flowerpots in Roussillon

Poppies near Bonnieux

The Pont Julien, a Roman bridge near Bonnieux

I stood at the window of our B&B with our innkeeper friend Pierre. It was a glorious morning in May on one of our early Luberon Experience trips. We looked out across the lush green plain below Bonnieux, dotted here and there with splashes of red, fields of bright red poppies.

“Why do the farmers plant the poppies?” I asked.

Pierre seemed surprised at my question. “For pleasure,” he said simply. “Because they’re beautiful.”

In Provence, surrounded by the vibrant colors of nature, that beauty gives me pleasure…and memories that last through the long days of winter back home.

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Kathy Wood and her husband Charley lead European Experiences, week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe, including The Luberon Experience in Provence, France. Their 2011 trips include three weeks in the Luberon and two weeks in the Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy. They also lead trips in the Salzkammergut region of Austria and the Cotswolds in England.

Kathy and Charley have been traveling in Europe for almost 20 years and love sharing their special places in Europe with other travelers. Read more about Kathy and Charley here. They’re now counting the days until they return to the Luberon in May.