Why Do They Call It a Redbud Tree?

It's April first, and as the month changes so has the season. In fact, changes are happening all around us all the time. In the spring, changes seem to happen especially fast. The study of changes in nature over time, especially from the influence of climate, is called phenology. This has long been a favorite study of naturalists and a focus of nature journaling.

Did you know that Bernheim Arboretum in Clermont, Kentucky offers a special tool for studying phenology? Three picture posts are located in the arboretum that allow you to take photographs of a 360 degree view. By using the posts regularly you can look at the photos to get a really good sense of the seasonal changes, even when your memory isn't perfect. You can learn more about Bernheim's picture posts here:

http://bernheim.org/picpost.htm

Right now, plants have invested most of their energy in the swelling buds. I think this idea is summed up nicely in this haiku from Issa:

with a yogi's self-denial
they've bloomed ...
camellias at my gate

My redbud tree in the front yard is singing its own name today. The buds are growing bright red and can't be held back too long. Of course, this all or nothing investment doesn't always pay off. I see only barely enough buds to create leaves to sustain my Shumard Oak, having suffered the loss of all of its buds in last spring's late frost. It's old branches are bare of new growth, but are now becoming the home of a new species of lichen.

As I was inspecting my yard, a pair of Killdeer loudly proclaimed that I should follow them. I'm guessing that they don't want me to see a nesting site they are protecting in my neighbor's garden. Looking for rocks to camouflage their eggs, they'll more commonly choose a driveway that doesn't seem busy. I didn't get close enough to cause any 'broken wings'. Not all creatures are such diligent parents, but love is surely in the spring air.

To get started:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Redbud
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/kytreewebsite/commonnamefiles/ccanadensiscommon.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shumard_Oak

http://www.lichen.com/

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Killdeer.html
http://www.birdwatching.com/stories/killdeer.html