Plum Blossoms
/Our Thundercloud Plum is the first tree in our yard to bloom after the red maple. The flowers are shades of pink…the blossoms overwhelming the tiny red leaves initially. Later, after the flowers are gone, the leaves will be almost purple. Sometimes the March winds are strong enough to blow the flowers off the tree early.
The large brood of periodic cicadas are due again this year. 17 years ago – the last time the brood emerged – the plum was a young tree and we covered it with netting to protect it; the netting worked. Now is it big enough it should be able to survive the damage the cicadas will cause – which is good since it is too big to cover.
I did two high key images of the tree on a cloudy day….a little ‘art’ photography.
Back in April 2013 I posted about a butterfly in the tree. Now I recognize it as a Mourning Cloak – a butterfly that overwinters as an adult and needs plants like the plum for early spring nectar.
The plum tree is easy to appreciate in the springtime….and then the cherry tree next to it starts to bloom too….our front yard at its springtime best.
