Everything in bloom

[redbird]

The honey black locust trees are in bloom, enough flowers open that whole blocks of my neighborhood smell of locust, starting about half a block from the A train: it was very welcoming on my walk home this evening. As a bonus, a young locust very near our building is blooming for the first time, with one cluster of blossoms just at the height of my nose. (In general, the trees look two or three days from their peak blossoming.)

There are late lilacs, a large stand of an odd variety that grow low to the ground and always bloom late, and a few left of the others. The scent blends nicely with the locust.

Yesterday morning, I leaned down on the sidewalk in the park to smell the lily-of-the-valley. Not far from that patch, there are daffodils still in bloom.

Locust and pawlonia--the one in the wall has come back from being cut down to the roots, again--and the very first roses, and still daffodils.

Violets are just about done, though.

Also, there are goslings, though we haven't seen ducklings yet. I've heard orioles, but not seen them, though cattitude has.

I'm glad the locusts are early, because they're the bit of spring I'm most likely to miss by going to Wiscon.

Comments

[miwasatoshi.livejournal.com]

It's already long past spring prime here in Arizona, but at ASU right now, all of our Chaste Trees (Vitex agnus-castus) are in full bloom.

[headgardener.livejournal.com]

IN our bit of London, both lilacs and lily of the valley are turning brown, past their smell-by best. Locust trees? I have a notion that they're some sort of legume, but unless they go by some other name I don't think they grow here.

[redbird]

Yes, it's a legume: Rodinia pseudoacacia L. According to my handy book, it's native from central Pennsylvania and southern Ohio south to Alabama, east to Missouri and Oklahoma, and naturalized throughout the continental U.S. and in southern Canada.

My book says it was named for perceived similarity to the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L), but that was in Jamestown in 1607 and I don't think there were trained botanists in that first group of settlers.

Also, I tend to confuse the common names (in which I'm not the only one): these are black locust, not honey locust as I originally wrote. The University of Vermont has a fact sheet with some useful pictures. (I just googled, and there seems to be a fair amount out there.