A very unexpected blossom from our White Star White Magnolia in the middle of February!

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.

Our damaged tree that doesn’t know what season it is!

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.

Damaged by frost, our White Star White Magnolia that bloomed too early.

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.

An unseasonable beauty!

And then the gentle rains came, bathing those few-and-far-between tendrils in luscious spring-like drops.

A rain-drenched bud ready to open.

Who knows what season this is?  Certainly not our White Star White Magnolia.

A rare bit of morning sunlight on our unseasonable but beautiful White Star White Magnolia blossom.

For more great WordPress photos, check out the Weekly Photo Challenge: Seasons.

It’s June 15, 2015, in Knoxville, and a White Star White Magnolia blossom magically appeared off-season!

So, for contrast, here’s a photo from my previous post dated March 3, 2015, showing an on-season, gorgeous White Star White Magnolia!

For more off-season occurrences, head to Weekly Photo Challenge: Off-season, right here.

Outside my back door, a White Star White Magnolia is the first sign of spring.

But it’s not until we get a close-up view that we know spring is here.  This treasured tree blooms for a week at most, and sometimes it has a hard time holding on even for that long. It’s easily buffeted by spring winds and weighed down by the gentlest rains, so blooms have little staying power given nature’s whims.

Early morning rain on a White Star White Magnolia

No matter.  Sometimes the fleeting nature of this tree makes it even more endearing.  The delicate while blossoms.  Subtle pink markings.  Pale yellow stamen.  Fuzzy gray calyx. We love it all, but have to get close to see its true beauty.

Just opening.

A hint of pink

The inside story

Spring officially arrives with the blooming of our White Star White Magnolia.  And its gentle Hello is one of the most welcome signs around.

For more entries in Ailsa’s Where’s My Backpack challenge this week — Travel theme: Spring — click here.