The Wild Tree: April

These are the glory days of the wild Palo Verde tree I am following as part of Lucy's Tree Watching meme.  It is in full bloom.

Individual blossoms are perhaps an inch or two across (2.5-5 cm) with rounded petals flaring outward from long stamens finished with anthers in a bright sienna hue.

As the branches are pliable, the whole tree is dripping with brilliant yellow, forming a veil of bloom around the grey-green branches.

Deep inside, the tree is leafier than it was.

Outside branches boast mostly just flowers.

I took some pictures of the tree about a week ago since I was unsure how long the bloomtime would last.  There was just as much yellow then - perhaps more since there were fewer leaves - and more buds.  Now there are some spent flowers and some additional green cover at the centre of the tree.  The pictures I took then can be seen on my other blog since it was purely a photographic spree.  I think you will be able to see the slight difference one week has made.

These wild trees are in bloom all along the rural roadsides just now, creating a magical burst of colour in the desert.  And we have several clumps peeking over the wall surrounding our property.  This is one, and a very special sight at this time of year.

I'm linking this post to Lucy's at Loose and Leafy, where despite her computer difficulties, she kindly continues to host the once-a-month look at trees from around the world.  Here is little Parkinsonia floridum from the Sonora desert.

The Wild Tree

I have fully intended to take part in Lucy's tree watching meme at Loose and Leafy since January.  It is something I've been fascinated by but haven't gotten on with, partly because of sheer indecision about which tree.  At last, I present the wild Blue Palo Verde next door!

It is just over our wall in an empty lot.  Now the "empty lot" is nothing more or less than raw desert, not counting a bit of detritus that has washed in over the years.  As far as plants go, it features mostly Larrea tridentata, the creosote bush; but there are a few other plants scattered around, among them this one.  The tree is more like several trees: a small thicket of Parkinsonia floridum, the blue Palo Verde.  I've posted pictures of it before here because it is beautiful to photograph.  As I say, it grows up against the wall surrounding our property.

I knew I had better start soon or risk missing this tree's bloom time.  I didn't realize how close it might be to blooming until I went over and checked it today.  Clusters are already filling out on the branches.

It is a sparsely leafed tree with sprays of small, rounded leaves scattered throughout the maze of branches.

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One of the most beautiful things about Palo Verde trees is the bark, which is smooth and green.  The colour is important since it allows the tree to conduct photosynthesis even when leafless.  This is a not uncommon feature of desert plants, many of which deal with drought and heat by dropping their leaves in summer, thereby reducing water loss from the leaf surfaces.  Some Parkinsonia species have brilliant green bark, but P. floridum's is a soft grey-blue-green hue.

And, like so many other desert plants, it is protected by thorns.

I hesitated to post this tree, feeling that it would probably not change enough from month to month to remain interesting.  But this meme is a good opportunity to find out the little variations that one didn't know about.  So here is Parkinsonia floridum in March...

Winter Morning Walk: Wild Palo Verde

We're finally getting a little frost here, but the days are sunny and well above freezing.  So this morning I took a ramble (with camera) in the empty lot next door.  One of my favorite bits of desert flora there is a small, wild Palo Verde tree that grows right up against our perimeter wall.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia floridum).  In a few months there should be flowers, but for now there are only the tiny leaves and the grey-green bark.  Green bark colour is typical of the Parkinsonias, which often drop their leaves during the summer heat and drought, while the bark carries on the task of photosynthesis.  In some species, the bark colour is brighter or yellower, but this tree has skin of a soft grey-green tinted with blue.  Even now the leaves are fairly sparse, and some are a bit yellow.  I don't know whether this is from the cold snap or not, but in any case it gives a brilliant effect as the sun shines through them.