In Chicago I always thought of Magnolias as exotic spring flowers. Here they are common as dirt, much to my Midwestern delight. With great anticipation I’ve been watching the buds on my backyard magnolia tree grow from the size of green beans to fat little pears. Looking out my bathroom window while brushing my teeth, I Willed those tantalizing buds to burst open as I felt they surely must at any minute… The magnolias, for some mysterious reason, were stubborn and refused to open at my mental command despite the hot breath of summer breathing down their proverbial necks.I commented on this to my Tarheel friends, “I thought magnolias were a spring flower?” “Well, late May usually…” And it hit me that late May Is spring in Chicago but down here? Well, it’s just on the cusp of summer a rollin’ in.
I am happy to report that my patience has been rewarded and my magnolia blooms are finally popping. A few fuzzy shells have split and sloughed off and the fleshy petals underneath have spread to expose the most interesting apparatus. The top of which is covered with little hooks and the bottom with tiny petalish things that shed to show a crimson center. So many things I had never noticed about the make up of a Magnolia bloom before. I suppose in future years I will not have the same delight in such mundane moments as the opening of the magnolias but for now I am relishing each new discovery.
1 comment:
Lovely, thoughtful. It's fun to see the area through fresh eyes.
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