Running a bit behind

I'm getting there, Tulips!  See, my buds with wee leaves emerging.  No mocking just because you got to spring first!

Redbud

At least I think this an Eastern Redbud...although the flowers are pink.  Yes, I don't understand either.  However misnamed it might be, it is still puts on a beautiful spring show.

Almost tree flowers

Not quite yet....but soon.

Tree flower

Perhaps not as showy as what we typically think of as a flower, but up close still incredibly beautiful.

Magnolia

One day I spent waaay to much time wandering around the parking lot before work taking pictures of the spring trees. I felt a bit silly...until I ran into my boss, who was also taking pictures of this lovely magnolia.

New leaves with pink flowers

Framing this shot against the white house in the background really lets the texture of the new leaves show.  And I loved the added pop of color from the flowers just about ready to bloom.

New Leaves

I had to fiddle with this to get it to show up more clearly.  Most of my new leaf photos didn't turn out, but I wanted to share at least some of them.

Forsythia

It has bark, therefore I think we should just pretend it's a short tree.  After all, what's spring without some gorgeous forsythia in full bloom.

Spring willow with fungi

This is a beautiful willow tree that I saw near a parking lot I that I often drive by.  The fungi (which I'm guessing are Alder Brackets) really catch the eye with the shadows and texture they add to the otherwise smooth branch. Although I know that fungus can be a sign of a wound in the tree, nonetheless I found the composition of the willow with it's new leaves and fungus ladder to be completely riveting.

Spring!

There were a few days back toward the beginning of April that I was wondering if we were going to skip spring and move right on to summer.  Thank goodness Mother Nature righted herself, because I love spring trees!  I know, I know.  I love trees no matter the season, but there's something about trees in the spring.  The bright green of new leaves against the dark bark. Sigh. Love.

Also, very distracting when you're driving because the subtleties of the spring colors and shapes are much harder to see from the road than say, the colors in autumn.

In spring, the trees change so quickly!  This means that if you want to capture the new leaves and the shimmery flowers, you can't wait for the weekend.  You have to try to capture the intriguing beauty right then.

This is a round-about way of my saying that for several hours on several different days, I dashed around like the fool for trees that I am, trying to capture the diversity of tree flowers and the emerging leaves. Unfortunately, I only had my camera phone, so not all the photos turned out.

But some of them did!  These photos are what I'll be sharing for the next several weeks.  Whether spring has already sprung in your part of the northern hemisphere, or whether it is still waiting out the last dregs of winter, I hope you'll enjoy spring here in Maryland.

Looking Up

Although this almost looks like it could have been taken in the spring, it was actually taken last fall.  It was a particularly hard day, following a number of other particularly hard days.  I went outside and leaned back again this tall, strong tree, closed my eyes, and just let it support me while I breathed in and out, smelling the clean, leaf-scented air.

Eventually, I opened my eyes and looked up.  I'm very glad I had my phone with me.

Bark

Back I can't remember when (January?), I posted a picture of a tree with pealing bark in the late afternoon light. Except I'd taken the picture with my camera phone, and it just didn't do the coolness of the tree justice.  That weekend, I made a point to stop by with my camera, to give another try at capturing the amazing bark on the tree.  I think this picture captures it best.

Night Shadows

I couldn't resist taking this picture one night this winter when I was walking through a part of my neighborhood that I don't usually see.  Especially at night.  I had no idea whether my camera could manage to capture what I was seeing--it tends to lighten up dark shots.  And, I admit that I faded it out a bit, to try to recreate what it really felt like.

Holly

This holly tree with the bright red berries and the leaves shining in the sun really caught my eye.

Here's a close up.

Wednesday Blue

I love the changing variegation of the sky as the sun sets each day. I especially love it as a background for looking up at trees.

Life Well Lived

I was debating whether to post these pictures, because they are of a tree whose life is over. But clearly in life this was a magnificent tree, and that deserves to be honored. In death this tree is both solemn and awe-inspiring. The final death stroke was the large derecho storm that blew through much of the eastern US in late June. The storm winds felled this tree, not by ripping its roots from the ground, but by snapping it off at the base, revealing what was clearly a long-fought battle.

Leftovers

Not what you expect to see on a late summer day...

Neighborhood Giant

I've tried to give this wonderful giant a hug, but it would probably take 3-4 people with their arms spread wide and fingertips touching to give him the hug he deserves.

Lovely Maple

Things got busy last week, and I let my tree posting fall by the wayside. I'll be going back over the next few days to fill in my missing posts. In the mean time, here is a lovely maple found on a walk in my neighborhood. I love the symmetry in the shape and the shadows cast by the sun and the branches.

Cicada