Spring
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We’re still having some chilly mornings near the end of this coldest winter in a long time, but indisputable signs of spring have started to appear. For the last week or so I’ve noticed various redbud trees, Cercis canadensis, beginning to blossom here and there, including this densely flowering one that I photographed yesterday on D-K Ranch Rd. in northwest Austin. The clear blue sky was a welcome change from all the overcast days we’ve recently had, and the high temperature for this afternoon is predicted to be around 80°F (27°C). That’s a nice warm way to end the month of February, don’t you think?
© 2014 Steven Schwartzman
Arrgh! We are still the better part of two months at least before the redbud breakout. Lovely to see signs of Spring-even if from a distance.
Steve Gingold
February 28, 2014 at 6:24 AM
Six years ago we drove from Austin to Iowa in late April. Everything here was already green and the flowers on the redbuds were long gone. As we drove north, though, the season receded, and when we passed through Missouri we found lots of redbuds still blossoming. When we got to Iowa, there wasn’t yet a leaf on any kind of deciduous tree. Arrgh indeed.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 7:14 AM
Now that’s cheered me up! Is this related to the ‘Judas Tree’ http://wp.me/p3jVw4-4r which flowers before the leaves appear?
Heyjude
February 28, 2014 at 6:40 AM
Yes, because that’s another species of Cercis, C. siliquastrum. It’s a Eurasian species, and in the Wikipedia article about it I see this: “There is a long-standing myth that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from a tree of this species. This belief is related to the common name ‘Judas tree’, which is possibly a corrupted derivation from the French common name, Arbre de Judée, meaning tree of Judea, referring to the hilly regions of that country where the tree used to be common.”
In the North American species the flowers appear before the leaves, as the article says of the Judas tree, and some occasionally grow right out of the trunk and large branches.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 7:24 AM
Ohhh, that is so beautiful :). 80F?!?! I’m packing my car right now and will be there in a couple of days. I need some warmth desperately. I don’t think I can take much more of the weather we have had!
photosfromtheloonybin
February 28, 2014 at 6:45 AM
Okay, we’ll get the guest bedroom ready.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 7:25 AM
Wahoooo!!!!!
photosfromtheloonybin
February 28, 2014 at 8:13 AM
That is warm! The redbud looks beautiful and it seems (from my google sources) that the flower and young leaves and seed pods are edible; a very useful tree.
Gallivanta
February 28, 2014 at 7:06 AM
I don’t remember if I knew about the edibility. In an article on Eat the Weeds I found this: “Native Americans ate redbud flowers raw or cooked as well as the young pods and seeds raw or cooked. The flowers can be pickled. They have a slightly sour taste and are high in Vitamin C . They’re a pleasant addition to salads and can also be used as a condiment. The unopened buds can be pickled or used as a caper substitute. The seed is about 25% protein, 8% fat and 3% ash. More so, a 2006 study show the flowers and the seeds to be very high in antioxidants as well as linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid. The seeds also have oleic and palmitic acids. Think of it as The First Forager’s Health Food Store. Young leaves are edible raw or cooked.”
As for temperature, there’s no month of the year in Austin when the temperature doesn’t rise to at least 70°F, and an occasional February day of at least 80° is the norm.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 7:35 AM
Ah, thanks for explaining the temperature range. You would never go hungry with Redbud trees in the neighbourhood. Are there many?
Gallivanta
February 28, 2014 at 6:22 PM
Because the flowers are so pretty, many people plant these trees in their yards. I’ve seen dozens of them as I’ve driven around town this week.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 7:32 PM
How beautiful .
Gallivanta
February 28, 2014 at 8:38 PM
So beautiful….not sure we’ll ever see anything over 30 degrees again. Another large snow/ice storm is headed our way. I think you’d better prepare not just a guest room but a whole dormitory!
Marcia Levy
February 28, 2014 at 9:41 AM
Okay, we’ll pitch a tent in the back yard for the overflow crowd. We’re sorry for all of you up north who can’t come down here now.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 9:46 AM
All of the redbuds are beautiful trees, and it’s good to see these blossoms, even in a photograph. We are starting to get a few blossoms on the trees now.
mrsdaffodil
February 28, 2014 at 10:50 AM
By all means, come and join the club.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 12:58 PM
Beautiful redbud flowers!
myfoodandflowers
February 28, 2014 at 12:30 PM
Yes, this is an excellent way to welcome the spring.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 12:58 PM
Love its girly flowers! 🙂
myfoodandflowers
February 28, 2014 at 11:09 PM
I’ve never heard these flowers described as “girly” till now.
Steve Schwartzman
March 1, 2014 at 7:39 AM
Don’t you feel that way? Or just me?
myfoodandflowers
March 1, 2014 at 2:04 PM
Well, it’s certainly true you won’t find many boys or men dressed in that color.
Steve Schwartzman
March 1, 2014 at 2:12 PM
I hesitate to push the ‘like’ button on this one Steve! To my left the thermometer reads 10 (we had -3 this morning) and we’re expecting 8-12″ of white stuff Sunday in to Monday morning! Argh. What I wouldn’t give for a bit of 80 degrees. Now, I know what you’re saying … that I could choose to live a bit further south and west. But I do like it here in the east … am just getting a bit tired of winter. Anyway … thanks for the fresh colors and the promise of spring. D
Pairodox Farm
February 28, 2014 at 7:30 PM
Despite the higher forecast, I think the temperature this afternoon rose to only 75°, but I know many of you would love to have that “only” today. Your report about a re-colding accords with others I’ve heard from people in the Northeast. That region, which once was mine, has its pretty features, but the cold has never sat well with me.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2014 at 7:37 PM
glorious Spring
sedge808
February 28, 2014 at 10:05 PM
It’s late for us this year, but now it’s finally here.
Steve Schwartzman
March 1, 2014 at 7:36 AM
That’s beautiful Steve! I love redbud trees!
Michael Glover
February 28, 2014 at 10:53 PM
Thanks, Michael. I’m glad you’re familiar with redbud trees.
Steve Schwartzman
March 1, 2014 at 7:37 AM
I’ve not seen a single redbud yet, but I suspect that’s a result of staying on my home turf over the past week. They’re so beautiful – I’m glad to see one here. I have seen white clover, Texas dandelions and an unidentified low-growing purple flower that I’m going to try to remember to photograph this weekend, so I can move it into the “identified” column.
shoreacres
March 1, 2014 at 7:46 AM
So far I’ve seen only invasive European dandelions, and not a single one of the Texas natives. A majority of the late winter wildflowers here are unfortunately Eurasian invasives. Perhaps the low-growing purple one you’re seeing is henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, which I’ve noticed plenty of in Austin over the last few weeks. Back in the native column, your first redbud shouldn’t be far away now.
Steve Schwartzman
March 1, 2014 at 8:36 AM
Don’t I think! Ha, we just got more snow and freezing temps! LOL.
Aside from that, this is stunning! Gosh, I love the color, it’s sooo vibrant made even more beautiful by the blue background. Love it.
I cannot wait for spring!
eLPy
March 1, 2014 at 10:26 PM
Even in central Texas we had more cold weather than we’re used to, but nothing like what many of you up north have been experiencing. As you can see from this photograph, spring is arriving here, and I hope we have no more freezes to kill off the new growth that’s coming up. It shouldn’t be that much longer for you.
And yes, the blue sky really enhanced the color of the redbud blossoms.
Steve Schwartzman
March 1, 2014 at 11:08 PM
This color is extraordinary. This pink reminds me of the pinks we get here from the Bougainvillaeas.
Tropical Flowering Zone/Maria
March 2, 2014 at 8:48 PM
Isn’t the color great? I’d hoped spring was here to stay, but the temperature has already dropped a couple of degrees below freezing this evening and will go even lower overnight, so all these beautiful redbud blossoms will probably be dead tomorrow morning. ¡Qué lástima!
Steve Schwartzman
March 2, 2014 at 9:05 PM
I’d give just about anything to see a redbud in bloom in person right about now. This winter has just been brutal and I’ve been wondering just how late the spring bloom will be this year. It was -5 F in the Chicago area this morning.
kerryl29
March 3, 2014 at 10:29 PM
By our southern standards we’re similarly cold: it got down to 24° overnight, and I worried that the blossoms would come off the redbuds. The ones I drove past this morning still seemed all right, but there’s a cold rain now and the forecast calls for temperatures a bit below freezing by morning. Will the redbud blossoms, this time wet, survive another freeze? Tomorrow morning will tell.
Steve Schwartzman
March 3, 2014 at 10:43 PM