We have a gorgeous magnolia in our back yard. The blooms are a wonderfully vivid pink. What is strange is that the tree is blooming a month early.
Even stranger, the poor magnolia is already past its prime and is shedding leaves.
The heavy rains that we've seen for the last two days are part of the problem. They stripped many of the petals off of the blooms, leaving them on the ground in a perfect circle around the tree.
The pink litter fills flower pots, covers chairs and blankets the ground like a densely packed snow. What a strange, warm year this has been.
tim mcmurdo 