Snapshot (Repost 3/30 from 3/22-3/29/09 Catkin Country

Water Oak, copper with floral catkin




Chestnut Oak, heavy with floral catkin

This almost last week of March was absolutley huge for Spring Time display. Only probem...It rained so hard and for so many days (in waves) that lots of the growth happened "unseen." If any week was flash week, this was it. Most of the Oak are in some form of flowering (thick in copper Catkin), with several species putting out new green to chase the gold. Beyond that, the maple are lumpy with seed and color.

Silver-tip Maple (green), and Red Maple (Red) burst forth in helicopter seed outcrop

Seedlings of a Red-Maple (?) variety

Highlights:

Water, Willow, Chestnut, Southern Red.... To be honest I am not sure of all of my Oak trees, pre-leaf - but I have seen all of these in bold flowering. (It seems the Pin Oak hold back, now naked and brittle)

Many of the Maples hit full seed. Even the Sugar Maple, latter than the others in flowering display are putting out some kind of odd display that I haven't figured out. Did I miss the flower (and they are going to seed) or is this the flower part, and the seeds follow late and behind the leaf. (see below)

Redbud - hit there full purple zenith early in week, some are starting to throw heart shaped tenders.

This is from 2009, and as has been the rule this season, we are about 7 days behidn last year's bloom cycle.  I have yet to see opening dogs, but they should be opening soon.


Dogwood started opening the begining of the week, and some are reaching full form by week's end (March 29)

Tulip Poplar, putting out leaf

Weeping Willow, cascading green

Little lawn flowers. Everywhere

Little violets - all over.

Three Leaf clover (standard white, still largley flowerless) but throwing out huge clover mounds.

Purple Dead-Nettle in large patches, appears to have eclipsed Henbit in volume.

Large bolts of onion grass.

Crimson clover emerging along our roadsides.

I hadn't seen them till someone mentioned them, but the yellow trumpet hedge floweres (Jessamine) are everywhere.

Tulips in full regalia.

Brads, now monolithic fresh green

Wisteria, in fall

Buttercups on the upwards swing

Red Bud

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(Repost)

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Eastern Redbud: Cercis canadensis

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Whoever thought to call these things "Red Bud" must have been color blind. (though I have seen a few very pale, and white versions). Red Bud function as one of my marker trees. I figure when I see them that Spring has just finished her first trimester. (Bloomin season in Central Arkansas started in early March, and hit the zenith week right now... March 19) And there is nothing like the color hum that you get when Redbud reach into bold blue skies, in combination with the new limon color of the new oaks.

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I will admit, the photos here seem to be of citified Redbuds. The country version features thinner threes, often reaching in an around the underbrush like strewn chords. And while its kind of hard to see here, the Redbud have a distinctive line to the branch, featuring an alternating, but understated zig.

Japanese Magnolia Extravaganza.

March 19-25 2010,

In the last week I have had occasion to shoot over a thousand frames of the Japanese Magnolias that grace the Arkansas State Capitol Grounds.  They are --as would be expected --an annual event, though they seem to be EXTRA gorgeous this year, in part, because they stayed on the trees without a freeze.  Like everything else this year, they bloomed about a week later than last year, and given that the last three years have bitten the blooms and turned them brown, that's a welcome delay.

The Japanese Magnolias, are - as the name suggests - a transplant. I have yet to find one in the wild, but they stand for me, as the gateway to Spring.

We appear to have three varieties of the Japanese Magnolia on the Capitol Grounds -- One variety characterized by longer petals and branches (and which blooms a few days earlier), another version with short stubby branches and a denser bloom pack, and one lone small tree with a purple, rather than soft pink bloom.

To see even more, check out these Facebook Galleries:  JMag 2010-1, JMag 2010-2, JMag 2009, and JMag 2003-2008 --- Then be sure to become a Fan of the FB Mightyworks Project Page. Thanks.

City Brad - Country Brad (Bradford Pear)

City Pear

Country Pear

Bradford Pear / Country Pear  3/19 - 3/22 (2010)

Not sure why the citified Bradford Pears of the city and town are all round (they certainly aren't pruned) or if the country Pear is a different sub-species... (many are not as tall or full as this specimen)... But countrified pear are ussually ragged on the edges, and may be far less dense.  They also seem to bloom a day or two earlier than the in city pears.  Not sure why.

Snapshot (Repost) - Cream to Green

Bradford Pear, Cream to Green

Southern Oak Catkins

a mountain Maple type going to seed

Red Maple, going to seed

Mountain Maple, or Beach Maple going to seed


Snapshot Week 10: 3/8-3/14 - Cream to Green (Repost 2009)

Note: It appears we are about a week behind last year in the bloom cycle, so this should give a sense of what we will see this week (3/22/2010  with the Brads just now gowing green.)

The great revolution this week was only visible to the highly observant. A vast spreading but as yet largely unrealized green is sneaking into every blade and branch. The overall impact when looking at the woods is still one of brush and bone, but there are signs that these too are ready to rage.

This week was cool (COLD) and wet, hence many things stayed kind of like they were last week. The brads are still holding bloom though waxing green. I expect them to go fully limon during the week of March 15.

The maple too are in revolution, as the Silver-tip, the Red, and various Mountain Maple types are in full seed force. (Only the Sugar Maples appear to hold back, not even given to flower.)

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Many of the Oaks, including the Southern Red and various water oaks are putting out catkins (a brown-green floral worm). Still, I have to see any catkin action on the massive Pin Oaks or various White oaks, many of which hold fall brown.

Other action: Saturday, March 14th marked the first day of the Wye Mountain Daffodil fest.

Lots of Henbit and lawn flower activity.

The overall effect was one of wet, green under surge.

Oops, almost forgot. HUGE week for the Red Bud, Peach, and Plum. Will post a Redbud page later this week.

Other things still seen:

Clatonia - everywhere

forsythia/japonica blooms (mixed with green)

roange berries (harder to see as the world greens)

Lawn Dainties

Lawn Dainties. (Repost from last year, - Both Claytonia and Hustonia are going strong as of mid March 2010

After a reader correction I am going with Claytonia for the larger top bloom. Thanks Tom for the assist. It is much appreciated.

http://www.missouriplants.com/Whiteopp/Claytonia_virginica_page.html

The smaller deep purple/blue flower is of the Hustonia family, though I cannot tell from the Missouri flower guide if it is Hustaona minima (it is small), or if it is Hustonia pusilla or Hustonia Caerulea.

In either case these are flowers, that if they loomed large would astonish us, but we are content to crush them under our feet.