More signs of spring are popping up around here. I took a few more pictures yesterday and this morning.
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| Pussy willow outside Lincoln Elementary. |
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| Magnolia; most likely Magnolia x soulangeana (saucer magnolia.) |
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| The neighbors' red maples, across the street. |
The red maples (
Acer rubrum) look as if their branches are covered with nodules. Those "nodules" are actually clusters of the trees' flowers. The flowers are very small, about the span of a man's thumbnail when open, and have no petals.
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| Close-up of open red-maple flowers. |
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| Pollen "cones" (pollen strobili) on a yew. |
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I do get excited when I see these "trailers" of spring after a cold, drab winter. But I'm still waiting for the final, undeniable indication that spring has truly arrived: the first "Yard Sale" sign!
;-)
Second pic looks like a magnolia to me.
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DeleteI removed my first response when a little research showed I was probably mistaken in part of what I said.
DeleteYou may be right: I was thinking "magnolia" as a possibility too. However, I thought that only one species of magnolia can survive here, when it turns out there are more than that.
I'm now leaning toward that identification myself. I'll know for sure within a week or two, I think. Meanwhile, I'm going to re-phrase the caption on that picture.
It's a magnolia; no doubt about it. I'm not yet sure of the species. Thanks for pointing that out, my unidentified friend!
DeleteSteve, love the pictures and also respect that you are "botanically correct" with plant names and morphology.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like them, Rob. And thanks for your kind words. :-)
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