April marks my fourth month of following a tree with Lucy at Loose and Leafy. I’ve been following a Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii) that is located toward the middle of our small back yard in north Texas. I was torn between presenting the changes in my tree through a slide show or through square tiles. After going back and forth and changing my mind several times I decided to show the changes that took place in the entire tree through tiles. If you’d like to take a quick tour just click on the first photo and you can peruse the presentation through slides. As you can see, the Shumard Oak went through quite a transformation between March 12 and April 7.
The buds of the tree finally started to become noticeable around March 15th, turning from burnished brown to olive green as they began to open up.
It didn’t take long for small catkins to form. According to the USDA Plant Database:
“Male and female flowers are borne in separate catkins on the same tree (the species is monoecious) on the current year’s branchlets.”
The catkins grew quickly, adding a brilliant green sheen to branches that just days previously had been dull and grey.
This closeup shows the unopened catkin flower clusters. They’re not much to look at! The term catkin is derived from the Dutch word katteken (kitten) because the clusters supposedly resemble a kitten’s tail.
Catkins and small newly-formed leaves were blown by a stiff wind in the photo below.
By the end of March new leaf growth was in full swing. The catkins began to slowly disintegrate and littered the ground beneath the tree as they fell.
The young leaves are beautiful and tenderly green as they shimmer in the sunlight.
The beauty that God put upon this earth is sometimes indescribable!
Thanks for visiting this month’s Tree Following post. To learn about the trees that others are following visit Lucy’s blog at Loose and Leafy!
The Transmutational Garden 
Lovely photos and the effect of scrolling down to see the changes from photo to photo are impressive. That was a great idea and I’m glad you presented it just that way.
The new leaves are a delight to see, aren’t they? To my mind they are every bit as pretty as our native flowers this time of year. It feels like everything and everybody is decking out in their best duds – enjoying the all too brief mild weather before summer cranks up again.
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Thanks. The new leaves are wonderful, whether they’re on the trees or other plants. I love to see the small ones peeking out of the ground or from the stems of the perennials and shrubs. There’s nothing quite like it at this time of the year, or any other time for that matter!
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You captured the beauty of the Shumard in all its early spring forms: buds, catkins, new leaves. I think the Shumards are some of the most beautiful trees, so glad you chose it to follow.
It’s such a great wildlife tree (I suppose most trees are), but there’s so much in my Shumards and I’m sure there is in yours. Look forward to more posts.
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I think these trees are truly beautiful when the first leaves begin to emerge. They’re so green! And as you mentioned, they’re great trees for wildlife. The goldfinches spent most of their free time in them during the winter when they were bare, and squirrels have built nests in all but this one that I’m following. They’re also quite a refuge when the hawks come calling.
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All those changes in one month – that’s impressive. I especially like the young leaves – delicate beauty.
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I really began to get impatient for this tree to do something. Then suddenly it happened, basically overnight. I guess it knew when the time was right.
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I like the way you followed up on the tree, and also how you represent the stages of its seasonal growth in tiles. Very beautiful!
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Thanks, I thought it would work best that way and would represent the changes in the tree quite well.
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That timeline of photos is visually lovely – the growth in spring sure is quick, isn’t it!
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Yes, once things begin to pop it seems to happen very quickly.
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Tree photos are great ,showing what goes on and how quickly things can grow. This is what’s great about watching a tree, the catkins are very delicate..
Amanda xx
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I like the catkins when they’re on the tree, but once they begin falling they can make quite a mess!
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I love the name of this tree…and especially the unopened catkin flower clusters….they are so beautiful….almost like a wisteria.
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Now that you mention it they do resemble wisteria!
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Lovely series of pictures. I have taken so many of such pictures. I really hope will be able to write apost during the weekend. Thanks for inspiring 🙂
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Hoe to see your post soon!
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🙂
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Hello friend, I managed to write a post today. Hope you will like it.
https://mazeepuran.wordpress.com/2015/04/12/%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%A1%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97-%E0%A5%AC-%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A/
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A lovely post and terrific photos. I’m always amazed at the changes, and how quickly they happen. It’s little wonder that we like this time of year so much. xx
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Everything is reborn in spring!
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Nice photos. Interesting to follow the transformation.
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Thanks. I was amazed at how quickly the tree changed once it began budding.
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What a beautiful tree and fantastic photos.
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Thanks! I think its my favorite tree in our yard.
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A superb and inspiring gallery! I cannot stop but wonder every year how fast they ‘move’ once the buds start to swollen, flowering, leafing out… such a great spectacle!
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So true. It’s as if once they begin to bud they get in a hurry to finish up!
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I am amazed how quickly your tree changes, what beautiful leaves.
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It does change quickly once it gets going! I think the leaves are the most beautiful part of this tree, especially in the spring when they first emerge. They have such a glow about them.
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Wow, what a change the tree made in just a month! Good idea to take photos every other day and present them in a row (or tiles, which I liked, btw). I’m quite amazed, really.
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Thanks so much! I actually started taking a photo per day, but the initial changes weren’t obvious, so I went to one about every two to three days. Glad you like the tree!
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