Early huisache flowers
I photographed this huisache tree (Acacia farnesiana) at Shoal Creek Blvd. and Foster Ln. on February 16th, the earliest I think I’ve ever seen a huisache tree flowering.
The next time I passed this tree was February 25th, 9 days later, by which time I found the flowers already diminished and faded. In contrast, the huisache tree I know in my neighborhood a few miles away from this site hasn’t flowered at all. Perhaps it still will this year; perhaps it won’t.
The numbers mentioned above will certainly have reminded you that 3 squared + 4 squared = 5 squared. Today is February 27th and 27 = 3 cubed, yet there are no positive integers A, B, and C such that A cubed + B cubed = C cubed. We can easily conceive such a thing but the universe doesn’t allow it.
© 2016 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Things are happening strangely everywhere this year. In Central Illinois we’ve only had a couple shovelable snows. As far as your formula is concerned I’ll stick with 1+2=3. “Mother De Ment didn’t raise no genius.”
elmdriveimages
February 27, 2016 at 6:03 AM
I’ve been hearing of warm winters in various places this year, and it’s been mild here too.
I remember seeing huisache trees flowering as early as the last part of February, which is now, so this one wasn’t much advanced.
As for the math, I could easily explain it to you, but this isn’t the right venue for that. You might even enjoy it.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2016 at 7:08 AM
My son will do that sometimes, start spouting math at me. It fascinates me, how a mathematician’s mind works. I find it beautiful, both the huisache (fun to say, too) and the math.
melissabluefineart
February 27, 2016 at 7:45 AM
Huisache is fun to say, and its blossoms are a pleasure to smell. A driver who parks downwind from a flowering huisache can often catch the scent as soon as the car door opens. I catch the scent of numbers just as easily and I don’t even have to be downwind of them. Numbers give off their own eternal breeze.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2016 at 7:55 AM
I love how you expressed that, Steve.
Incidentally, I have read that some artists can taste color. Isn’t that interesting?
melissabluefineart
February 28, 2016 at 7:57 AM
The general phenomenon is called synesthesia:
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/syne.html
What I said about numbers was metaphorical. I don’t normally experience synesthesia, but I have sometimes found myself thinking about photographing a scent or sound.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2016 at 8:44 AM
There’s nothing like coincidence, and this is a fun one. I trekked off to the nature center today, hoping to confirm the identity of the tree I thought was a huisache. In fact, it is — but the tree provided an exceptionally elegant proof. There was precisely one flower blooming on the tree — but of course, that’s all it took.
I can’t believe I got the ID right with only the thorns and a few tiny leaves to go by. It will be fun to watch it develop.
shoreacres
February 27, 2016 at 9:05 PM
As I read your comment I thought you might be about to say that you identified the tree even with just one flower because of the scent emanating from it. But you used your skill on that one little floral globe to clinch the huisacheness, no aroma needed. Now I hope hundreds or thousands of other blossoms follow so you can get the full treatment in sight and scent.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2016 at 11:10 PM
Perhaps there are micro climate areas in Austin which favour early flowering, or perhaps plants have individual responses to the environment just as we do.
Gallivanta
February 28, 2016 at 1:50 AM
I think you could make the case on both counts. I’ve conjectured that local soil (which you might include as part of a micro-climate) plays a role as well.
I did a search for “personalities of individual trees” and found that other people have entertained the idea.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2016 at 7:13 AM
Other people certainly have. Have I shared this with you, or have you seen it before? http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/world/europe/german-forest-ranger-finds-that-trees-have-social-networks-too.html
Gallivanta
February 28, 2016 at 7:28 AM
Yes, you have. I can’t remember if I mentioned (or merely meant to mention) that the name of the forest ranger in that article, Wohlleben, means “live well” in German.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2016 at 7:33 AM
Ah, yes, I do remember that comment about ‘live well’. And that reminds me I must check if I have responded to a comment from Linda, The Task at Hand. My brain was rudely awakened at 3.32 am by a 4.3 quake, 5km deep, 4.28km from the centre of Christchurch, energy 42 tonnes. So my thoughts are very scrambled again.
Gallivanta
February 28, 2016 at 4:30 PM
From what you said previously, I assume this latest disturbance was an aftershock that was to be expected and that did no damage, even if you found it disconcerting because of what came before. I hope things are unscrambled by now.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2016 at 7:59 PM
You assume correctly. Coffee and cake are very restorative.
Gallivanta
February 28, 2016 at 8:47 PM
It’s good that thoughts can be more easily (and tastily) unscrambled than can eggs.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2016 at 9:10 PM
Who cannot love a tree, shrub or any other plant that is covered with such a profusion of lovely color such as this Huisache? I imagine there are pockets of different plant zones within your neighborhood just as there can be here.
Steve Gingold
February 28, 2016 at 4:44 AM
Your question is rhetorical, yet I’ll answer and say “not I.” Even though the huisache at the entrance to Great Hills Park still isn’t doing anything (flower-wise), nor were some other huisaches I know across town when I checked them last week, there’s still time for them to wake up. I’ve seen huisaches densely covered with blossoms as late as April here.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2016 at 7:21 AM
I consider that a plus…to know that there is more yet to come of this lovely shrub’s inflorescence..
Steve Gingold
February 28, 2016 at 8:44 AM
I certainly hope that’s the case.
One clarification: you can’t tell from this picture, but huisaches are fast-growing and can become large trees. A large one covered with flowers is quite a sight.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2016 at 9:55 AM
I had checked the Texas Native Plants Database and saw that it grows to 30 feet. The description for habit or use surprised me by saying it could be called a large shrub (or a small tree) as I thought shrubs were less than 20 feet. At any rate, a 30 foot tall 40 foot wide specimen in full bloom must be awe-inspiringly beautiful.
Steve Gingold
February 28, 2016 at 10:13 AM
I see what you mean about the designation on the Wildflower Center site as a shrub, which I hadn’t noticed and wouldn’t agree with. Huisaches tend to grow wide, sometimes with multiple trunks. As you said (but reversing the numbers), a huisache 40 feet wide and 30 feet tall covered with thousands of little flower globes is quite a sight (and the scent can be overwhelming). A couple of pictures from previous years give a hint of what that’s like:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/a-last-and-majestic-look-at-huisache-for-this-year
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/survival/
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2016 at 2:10 PM