Spring tree flowers

The first homes in my old-suburbia neighborhood were built in about 1955, so we have plenty of mature trees. Even my house, a 1969 latecomer to the block party, sits on a well-wooded lot. Although my neighborhood shows many signs of decline today, that so many of its trees flower in the spring say that the original owners, at least, had pride.

These blossoms are from my next-door neighbor’s callery pear.

Spring flowering trees

This is probably my favorite springtime tree in the neighborhood. I think it’s a weeping cherry.

Spring flowering trees

We have lots of trees like this one in the neighborhood. I think it’s a magnolia.

Spring flowering trees

Here’s another – or is this one a crabapple? I’m not too sure.

Spring flowering trees

I took the photo above at about 5 p.m. I took the photo below of the same tree at about 8 p.m. as the sun was setting. Isn’t it interesting how much more vividly pink it is?

Spring flowering trees

Eastern redbud trees are very common in Indiana. One winding road in town that I drive frequently is lined with them, and right now it’s a tunnel of purple. Strangely, my neighborhood has few redbuds.

Spring flowering trees

I’m not sure what kind of tree this is, but it stands before my favorite house in the neighborhood. Most of the houses here are simple brick ranches and lack any real character. This house at least has a few interesting touches, like the arches over the front windows, the high-pitched roof, and the corner brickwork. [Update: My buddy Hoosier Reborn e-mailed me to say that this is a pink dogwood.]

Spring flowering trees

At first I thought this was a magnolia.

Spring flowering trees

But when I moved in close, I could see it was just another crabapple. At least it was close enough to the street that I was able to photograph the blossoms.

Spring flowering trees

My neighborhood’s trees put on a great show last autumn, too. Check out the photos.


Comments

6 responses to “Spring tree flowers”

  1. David Avatar

    Very nice photography! It is no wonder we love springtime as we do.
    The third picture is a northern magnolia, Magnolia x soulangeana. There are several in our community, but they are just now in bud. Another week or so.

    1. Jim Avatar

      Really? Just a bit farther north and the magnolias aren’t in bloom yet? Unbelievable! Ours are starting to turn green already!

  2. Cameron Miller Avatar
    Cameron Miller

    Photo no. 6 appears to be our old friend Cercis canadensis, the Eastern Redbud, which tends to put on a fine show this time of year. I would like to have one in my own lawn, but for the 50 odd weeks of the year that it is not in bloom, it is notably unremarkable, in my opinion – even somewhat thin and ratty looking.

    I do not mean to impugn anybody’s tastes in landscaping, of course. I firmly believe that we should take the good with the bad. In this case, perhaps we can better appreciate this tree’s short-lived burst of beauty in the context of its “ugly duckling” appearance for most of the year. Furthermore, the Eastern Redbud tends to be one of the earliest Midwestern bloomers, so the emergence of its purple blossoms are certainly a welcome sight following months and months of a typically bleak winter palate.

    Despite my derisive words, it remains one of my favorite trees. What a shame it would be if it fell victim to some pest or infection like the American elm did. I, for one, would certainly miss its ratty appearance then.

    1. Jim Avatar

      When you line up a bunch of redbuds along the roadside, as you might see them on Fall Creek Road here in Indy, for example, these trees’ scantyness kind of blends in. But in the middle of a front yard, yeah, they aren’t very impressive but for about one month out of the year.

  3. Thestrugglershandbook Avatar

    Beautiful. Believe it or not, we have some desert trees here in Tucson that bloom in the spring(spring here can begin as early as late January, last as little as a month or seemingly be skipped all together). The Palo Verde tree, for example, is pale green for eleven months of the year, but bursts into a vivid display of yellow at the first hint of spring. Sadly, I think our spring will end soon.

    1. Jim Avatar

      Spring is my favorite season, and I think I would be lost without it! The price we pay for it here is winter. It sucks.

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