Given the snow in the middle of April and the forecast of March temperatures for at least the next week, I should point out that the maples have started blooming. Maple flowers are more than a little amazing: they look like little sea creatures on a stick:
They're not all the same -- that one's a silver maple. Here's a Norway maple:
I think those are male flowers; these would be female flowers:
There are other trees blooming early in the spring -- they rely on wind for pollination, so the flowers aren't very showy: they don't need to attract birds or insects for pollination, so none of that bright colors and nectar nonsense. They're really interesting to look at, though.
Fun fact: seeds appeared about 200 million years before flowers.
They're not all the same -- that one's a silver maple. Here's a Norway maple:
I think those are male flowers; these would be female flowers:
There are other trees blooming early in the spring -- they rely on wind for pollination, so the flowers aren't very showy: they don't need to attract birds or insects for pollination, so none of that bright colors and nectar nonsense. They're really interesting to look at, though.
Fun fact: seeds appeared about 200 million years before flowers.
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