shades of spring

the one thing i love most about living in the south is having four seasons. these days, Spring is definitely in the air. during the winter season, hardwood trees don't have any leaves. they are shed during the Fall season and continue their bald appearance all throughout Winter. as soon as a hint of warmth comes through, buds of flowers appear on branches. the flowers turn deeper in color and when they are at their deepest hues, leaves come out and take over.

we have four Yoshino Cherry trees in our backyard. they are the most beautiful trees. when Spring is in the air, the flowers start out as stark white. then a hint of pink. then pinkish. then deep dark pink.

starting out stark white...

pinkish flowers...

turning pink...

deep pink... green leaves peeking out...

my grandmother is always amazed with Spring. she can't understand why the trees have flowers first and then leaves. i told her it's because they're not fruit trees like back home where you see leaves then flowers then fruits.

another two weeks and all the flowers will be shed and green leaves will stay. until Fall comes. when the cycle begins. again.