Backyard and Beyond

Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) about to pop. The flowers emerge up and down the branches, and the trunk, in advance of the leaves, making the pink-flowered trees look particularly intense.

This magnificent specimen at the northern end of Nellie’s Lawn is at its peak right now, maybe even slightly past. A few of the petals were blowing off in the breeze, snowflake-like, perfectly encapsulating the briefness of beauty. (As much as we strive for the epic, life is a haiku, my friends.)This is in the generally delicious Prunus genus of the scrumdelilicious Rose family, but I can’t pin it down better than this. Anybody know better?

I love how one-sided this tree is, leaning in towards the sunny meadow. By the way, it’s Frederick Law Olmstead’s birthday, so this one is for him.

The Tuliptree’s leaf is quite distinctive, although it looks a tad maplish here in its youthful stage. Liriodendron tulipifera is also known as Tulip poplar, Yellow-poplar, White-poplar, and Fiddle-wood. It is one of the largest hardwoods in North America, and is generally marked by a tall straight trunk. One of the grandest examples in Prospect Park grows on the northern edge of Nellie’s Lawn; exposed to the southern sun, Elizabeth’s Tuliptree has had years of opportunity to branch out, so it doesn’t follow the usual trunk plan. This particularly tree, which I’ve heard called the tallest in the park, has taken a beating over the years. Tuliptreee saplings produce very large leaves in their race for the sun, growing well beyond the big hand-sized leaves of the mature tree. This one is just starting out. Good luck, potential green giant!I think this is an example of the flowers of a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides). A whole host of them had been blown down, and the flowers were being patrolled by ants on the ground. Most likely, they would be patrolled by ants up above as well. There’s food here: pollen, nectar, and other invertebrates that like these foods.