"Cotton" Trees

There is a small one or two week period in the spring that I love and as an added bonus usually pops up as a surprise to me. The Bradford Pear flowers in the spring with white buds that when I first saw them reminded me of cotton - hence my nickname. A good year will have the flowers stay for a good two week, with bright, full tree coverage. They then begin growing green leaves and resemble a normal tree.

It is really a nice surprise when they bloom in spring. I am aware that they will do this each year, of course, but I tend to forget when it will happen. This is a very popular tree in my area (and in most that are hospitable to the tree) and makes for a truly splendid viewing. This year was a little different as we had a rare snow storm. I was enjoying the snowy look of our town and thought that was a lot of snow on the trees. As I looked more closely, I realized that my cotton trees were blooming as well. It was cool seeing the whole area white, then as the snow melted the Bradford Pears trees in full bloom. Some are still blooming now - this is truly a great year!