Tree Blossom

This is one post in a short series in which I look again at spring in Milton Country Park.  So much happens in spring, in such a short space of time, that I found it impossible to keep up with the changing landscape, and, as a result, did not do justice to everything that was going on, the first time around.

 

Orchard - 19 April 2016

The Orchard

One area that I completely neglected was the orchard.  Orchards are, undoubtedly, at their most attractive in spring when the trees are covered in white blossom, like those shown in the image above.

Orchard - 19 May 2016

I found photographing the apple blossom posed the same problems as I had found with other tree blossom such as the blackthorn. What appears to the naked eye as a substantial and obvious mass of bloom, seems quite insubstantial on the photograph: there seems to be far less flowers than I remembered, and those that are there are individually smaller.  It is then a case of balancing the need to show the overall effect, but still have the blossom large enough to make an impact.  I hope by focussing on a single tree in the image above, I have conveyed a sense of what I saw, while still retaining something of the overall environment.

Apple Blossom - 8 May 2016

 A close-up highlights the delicate pinks of the buds and developing flowers which is an important feature of apple blossom.

Elsewhere in the Park

 

By Visitor Centre - 8 May 2016

 
This tree, besides the main path leading past the visitor centre, is, perhaps, the most conspicuous and most noticed, in the park. 

Centre of Park - 12 May 2015

Not all blossom is as conspicuous as the white flowers of the fruit trees.  This willow trees shines bright yellow in the sunshine, not from its leaves, but from its catkins.

 

Field Maple Flowers - 8 April 2016

Similarly, the flowers of the field maple are easily missed as they are only very slightly different in colour from the surrounding leaves.

Next: Hawthorn
















 

Green Leaves

When we think of spring, we naturally think of colourful flowers: yellow daffodils and dandelions; white blackthorn and hawthorn; and the pink of freshly opened apple blossom.  These are the eye catching highlights of the season.  

Young Elder Leaves

At the same time, there is a more lasting change taking place - from bare branches to green leaves.  It is a transition that goes by almost unnoticed; one day the trees are bare, the next, or so it seems, they are covered in leaves.  And, of course, the trees stay green until the following autumn.

For the second year, I have tried to photograph this transition, the mid point between bare wood and leaves, in Milton Country Park.  The main difficulty is capturing that moment when the buds have developed enough to show up green in the photograph, but not so far that only a confluent green mass can be seen.

It was only when I tried to do this last year, that I fully realised that not all trees go green at the same time. The first leaves to appear are those on the elder.  This year this was at the end of February.  The image at the top of this post was actually taken last year in April, which is probably a good indication of the difference in climate of the two years.

South of Park - 27 March 2016

Another bush that gets its foliage early is the field maple.  This one was in a favoured position on the edge of the woods at the south end of the park.  Its bright green leaves stand out against the surrounding bare trunks and branches.

By Play Area - 27 March 2016

The field maple in the previous picture was well separated from its background. More usually, the developing leaves are little more than a thin veil over the surrounding wood, clearly visible to the eye but often 'disappear' in a photograph.  This hawthorn is catching the early morning light which helps to accentuate the leaves.

South of Park - 3 April 2016

Not all buds are so indistinct.  The swelling sticky buds on this young horse chestnut were visible from some yards away.

Centre of Park - 19 April 2016

We tend to think of trees in terms of their colour only when they are in blossom, or, during the autumn.  The rest of the time we appreciate for their stature, form or age.  However, I think they can be impressive when the leaves are just fully formed and are a rich vibrant green.  I have particularly noticed it with oak trees this year.  The foliage of this one really stands out in the sunshine.

By Wetlands - 1 May 2016

The same can also be said of the hawthorn.  Here the hawthorn is in bright contrast to the darker greens of the ivy and the tree trunks.

One for the Future

By Wetlands - 8 April 2016

It does not take much searching to find young sycamore plants like this anywhere in the park.   

Next: Tree Blossom