Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Spring is popping out all over

Every time I turn around, more leaves and flowers have come out.

Sunday, driving on 87, I saw aspen trees that looked green, the same small, light green that was showing on the Norway maples.  On the Norway maples, it was a combination of flowers and baby leaves.  I don't know what it was on the aspens.

Sunday evening when I went to campus, the serviceberry, Callery pear, and magnolias were in full bloom.

Monday morning when I got to campus, there were leaves on the sugar maple between Lally and Sage.  I was like, "Wasn't that tree bare?"

Monday on lunch hour, there were azaleas blooming.

Monday when I walked home from work at 5pm, I smelled the flowering Miss Kim lilacs, and I was like, "Were those blooming this morning?"

Monday I saw fully formed Norway maple leaves, not the baby ones.

Norway maples, 14th Street between Jacob and Peoples, May 5, 2015



Tuesday, today, the crabapple near 14th and Hutton was in full flower, but the crabapples near my office were not yet flowering.

Crabapple near 14th and Hutton, May 5, 2015


Crabapples near my office, May 5, 2015



Crabapple south of Amos Eaton, May 5, 2015

Crabapple near Troy Building, May 5, 2015


Most of the trees look green now.  Crabapple were the first leaves to arrive, then Norway maple and ash leaf maple, but now we also have leaves on  horsechestnut, cottonwood, Callery pear, serviceberry, hawthorn, Japanese maple, and Japanese tree lilac.  The Japanese tree lilacs on the north side of the field have flowers too, but the ones on the south side that get less sun because they are against the building do not have flowers.  There are baby leaves on linden, elm, ash, and oak. 

Horsechestnut, May 5, 2015


The sugar maples vary.  While the one between Lally and Sage was leafy on Sunday, others are not yet leafy.  There are three sugar maples along the north side of the alumni house.  The one farthest east looks decidedly leafy, though the leaves are still on the small side.  The two to the west, and also one just around the corner from them on the west side look primarily bare, with just a bit of something opening up.  The one on the west side that is farther south is farther along.

The barer sugar maples on the north side of the alumni house, May 5, 2015


From a distance the silver maple is green so you think it's baby leaves, but it's actually samaras. Red maple is also mainly samaras, with the beginning of baby leaves.

May 5, 2015: I have been acquainted with this tree near 14th and Eagle for several years, but I haven't pinpointed the species.  I think it is some sort of red maple cultivar.


Dogwood and ailanthus have just the beginnings of leaves.

The sycamore east of Sage looks bare, but the sycamores between Lally and VCC have baby leaves.

The locusts look mostly bare.  Some have just the beginning of leaves, while others don't.

Birch trees have fresh green catkins.

Some weeping cherries have already lost their flowers.

Weeping cherry at 13th and Peoples, May 1, 2015

Many of the regular lilacs, especially the one by the east end of Sage, have leaves and big purple buds, but the flowers have not opened yet.  There are some open lilac flowers on the south side of Amos Eaton.

Lilac flowers, south side of Amos Eaton, May 5, 2015


Lilac leaves, south side of Amos Eaton, May 5, 2015