The shrubs at Blue Jay Barrens really took advantage of the
week of warm weather we just had. Redbud
flower buds were just beginning to color and swell a week ago. Now they’re in full bloom.
Redbuds are the most colorful of the spring blooming shrubs
and are a valuable nectar source for some butterflies and larger bees. The flower shape makes it difficult for many
of the smaller insects to access the nectar.
Fragrant Sumac flowers are normally available at the same
time as the Redbuds and are much more insect friendly. I see a greater diversity of insects visiting
these flowers than any other spring blooming plant.
Serviceberry is known for its early blooms, but it’s
blooming a full month earlier than it did last year. I’m wondering what will happen to some of
these shrubs if we manage to get a hard freeze this spring. Freeze warnings have been posted for Tuesday
morning, so I guess we’ll be having the first test really soon.
These are Prickly Ash flowers in full bloom. If you get close enough to the bush to see
these flowers, you’ll most likely get snagged on one of the many thorns that
give Prickly Ash its name.
Other shrubs are making rapid progress, but have not yet
reached the bloom stage. The bracts have
folded away from the Flowering Dogwood flower buds. These flowers should be blooming by next
week.
The bracts will continue to enlarge and lighten in color
until they create a brilliant white frame to the cluster of small flowers. The showy bracts are what create the impressive
display.
Black Haw is producing clusters of flower buds and won’t be
far behind the dogwoods in blooming. It
seems that spring is rushing past too quickly to enjoy everything. Last year at
this time we had only been snowless for a couple of weeks and were enjoying the
arrival of more moderate temperatures. This
year it feels like we’re already pushing into summer.
