Monday, March 10, 2008

Spring is in the streets!

Forewarned is forearmed--is that how it goes? Anyway, what I'm trying to do is tell you that I know from past experience (last spring, summer and fall) that I cannot control myself when it comes to taking photos of Portland's flora.

Sunday afternoon I walked out of the apartment after watching the end of the NASCAR race in Atlanta where my favorite driver again finished third, crossed NW 22nd Avenue at Everett, and walked about 300 feet west. There I stopped and took this photo, one I've been wanting to get since last week when this huge camellia began to bloom in earnest. I wanted a blue sky for the background, to do honor to that tree. Besides that I got the tiny red leaves that color the top of that tree to the left, farther down the sidewalk. What a great time of the year!
camellia_tree_wide
Blossoms up close for you.
camellia_tree_close
Next, I walked back to the corner on Everett and turned right onto NW 22nd, heading north to Glisan. Just before I reached that intersection, I saw this flowering tree, one that I remember well from last year.
flowering_tree_030908
It's amazing to me that so many gorgeous tiny flowers can appear from such a tiny spot on the trunk of the tree.
flowering_tree_close
Do you know what kind of tree this is, please?

What signs of spring are you seeing again this year?

10 comments:

WendyB said...

I'm jealous! I haven't seen any signs of spring yet!

brian stout said...

absolutely beautiful photos! i love spring and your photos make me wish it would get here more quickly!

Rosie said...

They are beautiful!
I think the second one is a Cherry Tree. Or at least it looks like the one I have in front of my house. Unfortunately mine doesn't flower like yours :(

Anonymous said...

Well, you know what we got instead of these beautiful blooming trees. Snow. Lots of snow. I think by the end of this month we will have something in bloom. But no telling what yet.

These trees and flowers are so pretty. So many and so delicate and each one is desperate to find a bee or insect to sample its nectar and pollen so that the rest of the tree's purpose is finished. I hope you do not have a shortage of insects there to pollinate these flowers.

You should be able to hear the buzz of wings when you approach these trees with so many blossoms.

Jim Klenke said...

Both trees look wonderful.

Andrea said...

Wow, that is some gorgeous spring you are having. Not much spring pictures are here yet.

George Townboy said...

My "wows" increased with each photo ... fabulous! Oddly enough, spring seems a little slow in arriving in sunny central Florida too!

Small City Scenes said...

BEAUTIFUL! We got that going on up this way too.
MB

Denton said...

Spring is definitely just around the corner. And it is an interesting challenge in how to incorporate the seasonal changes with out overdoing it. I'm as guilty as the next and have no advice on how to conquer this challenge.

Photo Cache said...

the last one is a rhododendron isnt it? portland is bedecked with flowers.