While the world is pretty much shut down due to the pandemic, the campus grounds are thriving and full of color. Crabapple trees account for most of it. These “bridesmaids” to the past week’s spring debut are arrayed in shades from pure white to slight blush, cotton candy to sparkling rosé. They parade up and down the main thoroughfares of campus, but are also tucked in to corners here and there.

 

 

 

 

 

This is probably my favorite time of the year to be out and about on the grounds. Not only is it beautiful, but also coming even more alive with birds during this peak of migratory season. Many insects are using the flowers and new leaves a food sources, and the many songbirds, weary from their long journeys, find campus an oasis for feasting and resting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are not only gifted with an abundance of crabapple trees, but there are also a few other gems. Redbuds, a native tree, bloom along their branches before any leaves appear. When you look closely at the flowers, you can see that this tree is related to peas and beans by the shape of those very flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are also a few scattered azaleas, stretching our color palette into the lavender part of  the

spectrum.

And these are just the more highly visible spots of color across campus. There are many other flowers blooming, hidden away in small gardens throughout the grounds. But for now, we’ll celebrate this showy burst of blooms and enjoy their beauty from wherever we find ourselves these days.