04.13.07 OAK FLOWERS

Spring light gives new leaves a revealing glow; our eyes make us witness to the return of life energy within. These red oak (Quercus rubra) leaves and flowers dangle from the trees planted throughout the city giving the town a festive appearance. Again, springtime reveals colors we won't see again until fall.

03.31.07 POPLARS AND OAKS

Watching the green crawl up the mountain ravines, I know that I am looking at the poplars along the mountain streams. It is the magnificent tulip poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera, which sends out the most leaves first. The other major population in these forests is the oak tribe. They are a bit more reluctant to leaf, not wanting to risk the loss of all of their foliage to frosts. They are tentatively hanging out their "flowers" adding more pollen to the sex-filled air.