I was testing out some new gear today, taking lots of tree pictures in the pouring rain. I’m happy to report that my camera stayed dry as a 3-day-old croissant. Me, however — I needed a towel.
So, dogwood fans, can you guess what the white blotches are in the background of this picture?
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:30 am
My dogwood is still going strong! I love this tree in the soft morning light.
This one and the next one are cool. I was trying to capture how pretty it is when the morning sunlight filters through the petals.
Then I noticed that the sky is almost exactly the same color as …
… my neighbor’s house!
The blue background in the top picture is the sky. The blue background in the bottom picture is the house next door. You can sort of make out VERY BLURRY lines from the siding. So, there you have it: sky blue paint.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 3:21 pm
My dogwood yesterday.
She hasn’t blossomed this fully in years!
*Sigh*
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:30 am
This is Boggy, the frog that lives in the courtyard at Bradley’s school. The kids in the Environmental Club begged me to take his picture. Here you go!
The courtyard sundial: “Time began in a garden.”
As I was walking through the school on the way to Edgar field to watch the Metuchen Shade Tree Commission’s planting of new trees, this artwork in the hallway struck me as appropriate for an Arbor Day greeting.
What’s it like to be a root system? Only one way to find out.
Even the Mayor of Metuchen, Thomas Valhalla, left, came to watch the Shade Tree Commission and the planting of the trees! We are very proud of our town’s distinction as a Tree City USA.
Every tree was carefully documented and measured, even going so far as to plot its precise position using a GPS locator. If these trees aren’t batted too many times with baseballs, they will be the focal point of many a science lesson over the next several decades. The plan is that the children will take the trees’ pictures every year, and document their growth.
I love this stuff! Click here for the red sunset red maple in my yard.
Lots of children from the Edgar School Environmental Club (that’s Bradley in the blue striped shirt!) and the YMCA were available to help with the digging…
…there are SIX shovels in this picture!
That’s the tree that was planted next to the bleachers — a red sunset red maple.
It will grow to around 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide! (I have faith.)
I did not lift a finger except my shutter finger, but these guys were working! Bradley loves Environmental Club! I am so proud of all the kids. They worked really hard! And they listened carefully to the adults’ directions and lessons on planting trees.
Once planted, every tree was given a quick watering. It’s supposed to rain this weekend. Perfect!
This shot is WAY over-tilted but I still like it because I love seeing all those kids working so hard to plant trees.
Now THAT’S a nice action shot!
I guess I’m not the only person drawn to baby leaves.
I don’t know all the details, but I overheard that a total of eight trees were planted: red maples in the field, and some other varieties in the parking lot circle.
Will the leaves grow much bigger this year? We’ll have to come back in a month or two to find out.
That’s a dogwood in the parking lot circle. (”Oooooh! Not a redwood!”) Other trees planted here include magnolia, redbud and maple.
The trees were photographed with a person in the shot for scale.
Time out for a reality check: I need to get on my soapbox a minute. These little trees are planted in the pathway of children running to get on the bus after school. If the trees are going to survive, they need a barricade to keep kids from trampling them! (Pardon my ignorance if a barricade is already in the plan.)
May you live a long, happy life, little dogwood!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:14 am
In celebration of Earth Day today, here’s a much belated update on the dogwood we’ve been watching. Above, that’s a blossom this morning — 30 days after Easter. I think it’s safe to say she’s at full blossom now!
In case you’re new to the blog, readers have been guessing when my dogwood would blossom. With Easter so early this year, there was virtually no chance the tree would blossom in time for me to write a blog post (complete with pictures of the blossoming tree) about the legend of the dogwood and what that has to do with the Easter holiday. Still, April 22 is far later than I originally guessed her flowers would open up.
Here’s another shot from this morning.
And another.
Looking straight up at the sky. I love a blossoming dogwood tree!
I took this one yesterday, April 21st, day 29 after Easter.
I took this one last week, on April 16th, day 24. I missed a few days! Don’t know how I did that. Guess I forgot or something. Ya’ll need to bug me when I forget stuff! Steve G. guessed that the tree would be in full blossom by this day. Sorry Steve! She wasn’t quite there yet!
Looking straight up at the sky, she was still just a bunch of bud-dots on April 16th.
But she did have some pretty stuff going on that day!
Snapped this one quick on April 15th, day 23. (Carolina Girl’s guess. Sorry, CG!)
This one’s from April 13th, day 21. (That was my original guess. I lost too.)
And this one’s from April 12th, day 20 after Easter.
So, who won the blog contest? Well, Nancy guessed the tree would reach full blossom 25 days after Easter on April 17 and Melissa said 38 days — April 30. Jeff from Linden said 40 days — May 2. Gabe said 51 days past Easter — May 13.
Nancy’s guess was the closest. So, CONGRATULATIONS, NANCY! You win great heaping helpings of blog praise and admiration!
I love my dogwood. Ok, time to go out and pull up birdseed weeds.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:43 am
Nineteen days after Easter: A few buds on the dogwood we’ve been watching are really quite beautiful!
Special note to readers in my microclimate (Metuchen and Edison): how are your dogwoods doing? Mine tends to flower-up a week ahead of most, and lose its leaves a week later, so I was just wondering if that trend is happening this year.
Nobody guessed that the tree would blossom by the nineteenth day after Easter. The next guess would be my original guess, made about a week before Easter — I said the tree would reach full blossom by April 13. But I’m not so sure about that now!
Carolina Girl said 23 days after Easter — April 15.
Steve G. said 24 days — April 16.
Nancy said 25 days — April 17.
Melissa said 38 days — April 30.
Jeff from Linden said 40 days — May 2.
Gabe said 51 days past Easter — May 13.
Readers have been trying to guess the number of days past Easter that our tree will reach FULL BLOSSOM, or, the point at which the majority of the blossom buds on the tree are all open to their fullest point. Hope you’re not too bored watching my dogwood! Not sure if I’ll manage to get a shot on Saturday. My camera’s in the shop getting the sensor cleaned (so I wouldn’t be able to get the shot early in the morning) and I have a very full schedule after that, including a big date tomorrow night to see Guys and Dolls at the high school with my sweet little Gregory. Love you, Gregory!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:30 am
Eighteen days after Easter: The dogwood we’ve been watching really doesn’t seem all that close to full blossom yet. This is taking longer than I thought it would!
Cheryl guessed the tree would be at full blossom by today, 18 days after Easter — April 10. Sorry Cheryl — she’s not there yet!
My original guess was 21 days — April 13.
Carolina Girl said 23 days after Easter — April 15.
Steve G. said 24 days — April 16.
Nancy said 25 days — April 17.
Melissa said 38 days — April 30.
Jeff from Linden said 40 days — May 2.
Gabe said 51 days past Easter — May 13.
Readers have been trying to guess the number of days past Easter that our tree will reach FULL BLOSSOM, or, the point at which the majority of the blossom buds on the tree are all open to their fullest point. Those of us who put our guesses in early are biting the dust quick! But the best is yet to come! (I’m betting there’s going to be some new night shots coming soon.)
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:30 am
Seventeen days after Easter: From a distance, she still looks like the dead of winter.
But if you look up close at the dogwood we’ve been watching (wearing your rose colored glasses), the beauty of the intense colors might just make you gasp!
But plenty of buds are still fully enclosed, even if the baby leaves aren’t.
We have 11 guesses as to how many days past Easter it will take our dogwood to reach full blossom.
My Gemini optimistic alter ego lost when she said 11 days.
Brad and Heidi both said 17 days — April 9. Sorry Brad and Heidi. She’s not there yet!
Cheryl said 18 days — April 10.
My original guess was 21 days — April 13.
Carolina Girl said 23 days after Easter — April 15.
Steve G. said 24 days — April 16.
Nancy said 25 days — April 17.
Melissa said 38 days — April 30.
Jeff from Linden said 40 days — May 2.
Gabe said 51 days past Easter — May 13.
Thanks to all the readers who guessed the number of days past Easter that our tree will reach FULL BLOSSOM, or, the point at which the majority of the blossom buds on the tree are all open to their fullest point. Please don’t get too bored of dogwood pictures. The best is yet to come!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:30 am
Sixteen days after Easter: Am I weird?
The dogwood we’ve been watching is slowly beginning to blossom!
IT’S SO EXCITING TO WATCH TREES GROW!
We have 11 guesses now as to how many days past Easter it will take our dogwood to reach full blossom.
My Gemini optimistic alter ego lost when she said 11 days.
Brad and Heidi both said 17 days — April 9.
Cheryl said 18 days — April 10.
My original guess was 21 days — April 13.
Carolina Girl said 23 days after Easter — April 15.
Steve G. said 24 days — April 16.
Nancy said 25 days — April 17.
Melissa said 38 days — April 30.
Jeff from Linden said 40 days — May 2.
Gabe said 51 days past Easter — May 13.
What’s your guess? We’re guessing the number of days past Easter that our tree will reach FULL BLOSSOM, or, the point at which the majority of the blossom buds on the tree are all open to their fullest point. (These early blossoms shown today will be fallen to the ground by then.)
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:30 am
Fifteen days after Easter: LOOKY LOOKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SHE’S OPENING UP!!!!!!!!!!
The dogwood we’ve been watching is actually beginning to blossom!
We have 10 guesses now as to how many days past Easter it will take our dogwood to reach full blossom.
My Gemini optimistic alter ego said 11 days. (Come and gone.)
Brad and Heidi both said 17 days — April 9.
Cheryl said 18 days — April 10.
My original guess was 21 days — April 13.
Carolina Girl said 23 days after Easter — April 15.
Steve G. said 24 days — April 16.
Melissa said 38 days — April 30.
Jeff from Linden said 40 days — May 2. (Love the symbolism of “40 days.”)
Gabe said 51 days past Easter — May 13, his sister, Hayley’s, birthday.
What’s your guess? We’re guessing the number of days past Easter that our tree will reach FULL BLOSSOM. I estimate that it will take at least a week from the time the tree first begins to noticeably open up to the time she’s considered to be in full blossom.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:36 am
