Cornus florida

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” ~Chinese proverb

It’s April and flowering trees abound at this time of year in California, and most likely where you live, too. They emerge in concert harmony, showcasing one after another. At this particular moment it is the dogwood that is in full display, and last year I highlighted their abundance and beauty here.

However while it may be dogwood that is taking the larger stage, there are many more flowering trees about and I set out to find them. What I least expected to find was a western redbud, as they have largely come and gone, but redbud I did find, and I was delighted! My guess is this late bloomer will be the last of the season. Lucky us for its last minute arrival! For whatever reasons, this tree (and variations) is associated with Judas’s supposed hanging himself and is known in parts of the world as the “Judas Tree.” It has a very interesting property in that its blossoms emerge directly from its branches, contributing to a rather unlikely look as it unfolds. I love their little heart-shaped leaves. It’s rather endearing that carpenter bees cut nickel-size circles from the redbud leaves to use in their nests. (I adore carpenter bees. I think of them as the grand teddy bears of the bee family, kind of lumbering and harmless to humans.)

Cercis occidentalis

Scouting about I find myself drawn to a small tree of which I’d been previously aware, but had not closely examined before. It is a Japanese snowball tree.

Snowball Viburnum
This tree has always puzzled me as my interpretation of it is that it is some sort of hydrangea that has gone rogue and far exceeded its boundaries and expected form! You will see what I mean, here:

See? Most perplexing. But the snowball tree it is and lives happily in this dappled corner, protected by a wall of bamboo. Very lovely setting.

The most dramatic flowering trees I found were these photinia twins living entwined in a small charming county park. They must have been carefully groomed in their early years and I’m imagining are very very old to have reached this height.

Closer to home is a reliable white lilac in full blossom. I love that people walking by always stop to partake of its wonderfully sweet fragrance!

And now a mystery tree, which, ironically, inspired me to want to write this very post.

I must confess that at point of inspiration the plumes on this tree were slightly more lavender and my delay in acting on my muse has placed it slightly past its most beauteous moment. However, it is still quite lovely. It does not have leaves, per se, but rather a lacey kind of needle. Its gnarled trunk suggests its presence in the neighborhood for quite some time. Any ideas?? All guesses appreciated!

Love and springtime blessings!
Kathryn xoox

Footnote: If you want an answer, ask a scientist! Cousin Julie has ID’d the above plant as a tamarix. Poor thing is invasive in some parts, and has the ability to suck up groundwater from the desert floor. Good for the tree. Not so good for the desert.

What is interesting to me about the above post is that three of the trees I’ve chosen apparently have Biblical references. The dogwood, as you may know, has associations with the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’s head before his crucification. As noted above, the redbud is associated with Judas’s hanging. And I have just found these surprising notes in verifying that Julie’s ID was correct:

In spite of Tamarisks drawbacks, its an important desert tree, providing windbreaks and welcome shade and cover for many animals. It is the source of the Manna of the Bible, which is produced by a small sap sucking insect that turns the toxic sap into a sweet honey like substance that drops to the ground. It is still gathered in the Middle East and sold in the markets.

A fascinating unfolding!

Posted on April 25th, 2010 by Kathryn
Filed under: Plants | 18 Comments »

Yesterday morning my darling daughter rang me to read her latest post prior to publishing. This is a weekly ritual. First line: “I ran away from home yesterday.” Intriguing! And dangerous, I knew. I could feel the adventure pangs immediately and the more she read the stronger they got. I punctuated her last words with my own longing, “What are you doing today?” Decisions made, within the hour I was on my way. Because even though the apple tree was bursting with pink and white blossoms in the back corner…

And even though the rose arbor was drunk with its own red beauty…

I still wanted to Get Away.

So get away I did! LOL!

Antonia met me just outside the greenhouse of the retreat where she is living and working, sporting a big smile, a warm hug, and an intriguing question. “Guess who’s here?” Just exiting the greenhouse was a beautiful woman, a very old friend, whom I had not seen in ten years! Wow! This is getting off to a great start! We embraced warmly and then, smiling, gazed at each other to fully take in the changes that transpire over a ten year period. A lovely, warm and acknowledging special moment. OK, then! What’s next?

What was next was a delightful run to town. We parked and walked the short distance to a fabulous cafe, famous for its brick oven pizzas and delicious salads. I admired the carefully crafted brick walls with large open uncovered windows and the decorative ceilings. This was the kind of eatery that restores the heart and soul. Of course the company of my lovely daughter had much to do with it. Filled up with a yummy luncheon we set out to explore the small town in the heart of Sonoma County’s wine country, which to date neither of us had really taken the time to do. I stopped almost immediately when I spotted this crop of red clover which blossoms in abundance in Sonoma County at this time of year and which I LOVE!

That documented we ambled down to what was clearly an old general merchandise store to see if they might have a pair of gloves Antonia could wear that afternoon when she planned to transplant dozens of zinnia starter plants into the warm ground. Entering we were met by old wooden floors and stacks and stacks of red, black and white cowboy hats and all manner of Western paraphernalia! What a kick! Embroidered cowboy shirts hung on racks and silver and turquoise bolo ties hung at the counters! Big smiles. The store was deep and wide and the further back we went the more varied the merchandise became. One could readily feel this was a store that had long served the local population with their general needs. A kind elderly gentleman climbed a ladder to search among his stacks of shelves and found the perfect gardening gloves for Antonia. Then bounded down to ring them up along with two bottles of local honey, one made from clover, and the second from eucalyptus trees, with a deep rich color one can rarely find in a grocery store. What a treat!

As he rang up our purchases two little dogs emerged from behind the counter to meet and great us. Pixie was a small brown terrier and Chase was a little white scruff of a dog with Jack Russell Terrier roots. Once they felt fully acknowledged they politely receded to their posts. “So,” I said to the owner, “This feels like this must have been THE general merchandise store for this community for a long time.” The man seemed pleased. “My grandfather opened this store in 1918.” We both smiled. Encouraged, he offered more, “Over there was a tinnery. And back there was a mortuary. And up front was the store with all the goods you could need.” Oh, my! These are the moments one cherishes in pondering that the old Western towns of Northern California still abound and need only a bit of prodding to uncover and admire. Our appreciation of where we’d stumbled deepened. We knew this was a treasure and that we would return.

A bit more poking around and we were ready to return to the retreat grounds. What would I find there? I decided to spend time exploring the large numbers of rare and unusual birds that live on the property. Antonia kindly showed me to that area where I might indulge and explore the possibilities, though cautioning me about not letting any escape. Thus you will see some of them through wires, my dearies. Not taking chances! Here are some of the beautiful creatures I met. First there was this amazing peacock. I was blessed to inspire a full display, apparently.

I was also blessed to find these doves. The mom was sitting on a clutch of eggs. The father dove sat protectively above her. I moved on quickly, not wanting to upset her in any way.

Just as I was moving respectfully away from the doves I heard a gentle whirring sound and looked down into the cage next door to view this surprising display!

Oh, my goodness! Antonia quickly joined me. “I’ve never seen him do that before!”

Well, then! Emboldened, I opened his cage door slightly enough to get a full view. This, dear readers, is a silver pheasant, found in forests, mainly in the mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia and the eastern and southern areas of China. Amazing dear creature!

Landing on the lower level, I went on to visit the row of parrots who live in very large cages that (not to worry) are regularly visited and cleaned. These guys get a lot of attention. I, however, having been bitten on the tongue, once, by a parrot named Maxine (I was teaching her to sing), am reticent to ever get too close to one, so here you go. Beauty in a box. 🙂

And this guy.

OK, done with the parrots!

I will round out my bird foray with the hilarious emu! What a curious funny character he is!

Nearly ready to depart, I ask Antonia to snap my photo beside a 600 year old tree that graces the center of the retreat property. Do I look restored? I think I do.

As I return home over the winding roads of Mendocino County a curious reality is not lost on me that the adventure I sought out that nurtured me was to the very locale Antonia had sought to leave the day before. And it was in her acting on her own inner impulse for exploration that inspired me to do the same. There is wisdom in seeking out the new for restoration. I recall that teacher Stephen Gaskin used to say that with every new road you take, every new mountain you climb, each new view you view, your consciousness is expanded. What new paths might you take to nurture and expand your mind and heart and soul?

Love and day trip blessings!
Kathryn xoxo

Posted on April 10th, 2010 by Kathryn
Filed under: Field Trips | 16 Comments »