Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Redbud Season - Lin Frye

Daily Practice
Journal

One of my favorite trees, the redbud (Cercis canadensis) has been blooming its pink blossoms-- and I've been trying for a week to try to capture that delicate pink against the yellow/green of early spring leaves. This quickly done sketch is from a photo of my neighbor's home as I looked across my property.

Redbuds are incredibly beautiful .. their pink/magenta blossoms arrive before the heart-shaped leaves. They're a smallish tree (20-30 feet) and often found, like dogwood, along woodland edges. They're an understory tree - and their bright blossoms herald spring!

The greensmen have been working with this tree and have hybridized some incredible specimens -- including a weeping variety, one with magenta leaves (and against those pink blossoms is utterly breathaking!), and some with emerald leaves.

The flowers and young pods are edible --- I've sauteed the flowerbuds in peanut oil and you'd swear you were eating young spring peas!

Lin Frye
North Carolina

2 comments:

  1. A beautiful depiction of spring - lovely sketch Lin.

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  2. Oh this is lovely. I also found it interesting to learn about this special tree!

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