Taking a Closer Look

One of the earliest Spring-blooming trees here in Mississippi, is the Bradford Pear tree, and in just a few weeks the trees will be covered with beautiful white blossoms which appear before the leaves emerge. I captured the following two pictures in early March, a couple of years ago, when the buds were just emerging. It didn't take them long to look like this: Bradford Pears are ornamental landscape trees that can grow up to 40 feet in height, and their shape reminds me of the little "lollipop-shaped" trees children draw. Notice how the limbs seem to grow straight up. As glorious as they are from a distance, I discovered that their crowning glory is found deep within the delicate flowers. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked through the lens to get a close up view of one of the blossoms. This is what I saw ... You can click on the pictures if you would like to get a closer look at these exquisite flowers. I love the little heart-shaped purple centers ... I hope these pictures have inspired you to take the time to get a closer look at our glorious spring flowers and trees. I will never cease to be amazed by the awe-inspiring beauty hidden deep within their petals. Like the "flame" I found deep in the heart of this Iris ... Or a tiny cross silhouetted by the sun filtering through the petals of a tulip ...