If you walked the Earth 20 million years ago, you might have seen the ancestors of these blooms. Magnolias are an ancient species that evolved before bees. They were pollinated by beetles instead. Their bloom is very short here in the north. It seems that, once the flowers fully open, a storm rolls through and rips them apart. The whole cycle usually happens within 3-5 days, but this year has been different. We had days near 80 degrees that encouraged the flowers to open followed by plunging temperatures with daytime temps in the 40s and 50s that preserved the flowers. I never realized how fragrant they can be until I stood near this tree to photograph it.
[...] 1st on two different trees in downtown Brighton, Michigan. Normally, these trees are show-stoppers in early spring when the blooms open before the leaves [...]
[...] in posting some images. The magnolia (above) was blooming on April 2, three weeks ahead of their 2010 showing. Below, the first sign of red crabapple buds were showing after the leaves began to emerge on March [...]