The Progress of the Seasons

“I want to go soon and live away by the pond where I shall hear only the wind whispering among the reeds.  It will be a success if I shall have left myself behind,  but my friends ask what will I do when I get there!  Will it not be employment enough to watch the progress of the seasons?”
— Henry David Thoreau, from Winter: The Writings of henry David Thoreau, vol. 8

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”
—  John Ruskin

“Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.”
— Wu-Men, ancient Chinese sage

Star magnolia

 

 

Star Magnolia

These are called Star magnolias.

Watercolor sketch of star magnolia blossom and bud

 

Consider the Petal

“It is at the edge of a petal
that love waits.”
— William Carlos Williams

“The height of the beauty of a bloom is its folded state, rather than when it’s fully opened.”
— Stanley Kunitz, The Wild Braid:  A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden

Star magnolia bud just opening

Unfolding flower, star magnolia

Star magnolia bloom

Opened blossom, star magnolia

Which do you prefer — the unopened bud or the unfolded blossom?

 

 

New (to Me) Magnolia Blossoms in Pale Yellow

Pale yellow star magnolia blossom

Magnolia buds and blossoms

Star magnolia in pale yellow

Until today, I’ve never seen magnolia blossoms in pale yellow.  This tree caught my eye on my walk home from Green Lake this morning.  I like it when my senses are awakened by something new and different.

Star Magnolia

Star Magnolia

Until this spring, I don’t recall seeing this particular kind of magnolia blossom.  This year I am seeing them all over.  They are called Star Magnolia.  Aren’t they lovely?