The Crape Myrtles of Vicksburg

Crape Myrtle As lovely as soft bits of fragile crinkled silk, These rosy blossoms, clustered thick upon the heavy drooping boughs, When shaken by a summer wind, Drop down in swirling showers, And drift awhile about the ground; Then gathered into frothy heaps beneath the hedge, They spread a frill of rosy lace around the green lawn's edge. ~~ Written by Leda Clements

As the song says, "June is bustin' out all over!," and Vicksburg is literally bursting with color these days, too.

The Crape Myrtle trees are in rare form this year, their branches bending low from the weight of their gorgeous blossoms, ranging in color from watermelon and bubblegum pinks, to lavender, elegant white, and even royal purples.

I don't think there's a street in town that doesn't have at least a half dozen of these beautiful trees gracing its sidewalks, and they make such a welcoming sight for our many visitors from out of town.

I love the hundreds of little lacy ruffled petals that make up the blossoms.

And I think the smooth, gnarly trunks of Crape Myrtles are truly fascinating, especially the older trees. I took this picture last fall of the trunk of a huge old Crape Myrtle in the Vicksburg National Cemetery located in the National Military Park. I was photographing tree trunks that day and don't have a picture of the whole tree. It's no telling how old it is, and I need to go back and get a picture of it now while it's blooming. Perhaps I can do that next week.

Here is the trunk of another old tree in one of Vicksburg's prettiest neighborhoods. You can click on the images to enlarge them, if you'd like to see it up close.

And this is the tree it belongs to ...

Christ Episcopal Church of Vicksburg is magnificent year-round, but is especially beautiful this time of year when its entrance is framed by the old Crape Myrtles lining the street.

This gorgeous purple Crape Myrtle is located on the grounds of a Texaco station in Vicksburg. I couldn't find a view with a pretty background for the picture, but wanted to share it anyway.

As I was driving around Vicksburg, I couldn't believe how many Crape Myrtles there are in the city. They are truly spectacular right now, and I loved capturing these when they were at their peak. To God be the glory, indeed!