Though spring has just arrived, winged elms are already in seed. Orangish when they flowered in February, elms are now encased in a vaguely pinkish gray. When the seeds mature, they will dry and grow brittle enough to break from the twig in a wind. A shape not unlike a boat's propeller makes the oval seeds spin as they descend, keeping them aloft good distances from the parent tree.Elm seeds also drift into piles like snow.
Redbuds are at the height of color, oaks dripping yellow with flowers. Tuliptrees are bringing an exuberant green to hillsides. Right now you can tell almost every species of local tree at a glance from its color and stage of growth. Maples, like elms, are growing seeds.
Most native trees flower first then leaf out, but a few grow leaves first. Every species has unique timing and sequence, and once you learn to notice, you can learn which is which. Some grow seeds right after the flowers fall off, others spend months growing fruits or nuts that mature in summer or fall.
Two of the main groups that have not yet broken bud are hickories and ashes. Both are about to go. They leaf and flower simultaneously.
2 comments:
Nice commentary on the transition to spring. To many, this transitional season is spent anxiously awaiting the explosion of greenery that will take place in the coming weeks, but this is also an interesting time, as you say, as long as we know what to look for. Thank you for sharing
I love how you captured the fuzz on the winged elm.
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