Every spring I look forward to seeing the one flowering tree I have behind my house come into its own. With just a bit of nudging, my glorious White Star White Magnolia bursts forth before any other of its kin have even awakened from winter slumber.
But not this year. You see, winter in our place of residence, Knoxville, Tennessee, was just downright warm: higher than normal temps in December followed by bursts of January winter with spring-like interludes sprinkled willy nilly onto the calendar. And February couldn’t make up its mind either.
Our White Star White Magnolia was confused. Buds browned out. Gentle petals drooped and then dropped. And not a single branch on the tree could decide what season it was even on a week-to-week basis.
But today is different. A few remaining, unscathed buds opened, albeit ever so slowly — as if they wanted to test the air just a wee bit to see if conditions were right for revealing their tender green middles.
And then the gentle rains came, bathing those few-and-far-between tendrils in luscious spring-like drops.
Who knows what season this is? Certainly not our White Star White Magnolia.
For more great WordPress photos, check out the Weekly Photo Challenge: Seasons.