Once again this month I am nowhere near my home in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, so I cannot report on my linden, the tree I am officially ‘following.’ But since I hate to miss a month of  Lucy Corrander’s tree following meme, I am cheating this month and following the trees that I see around me as I visit the towns of Emilia-Romagna in italy.
Trees are blooming everywhere and from the trains between towns I can see blurs of white blossoms. In Ferrara, a small city that I like very much, I was able to stop and get close enough for photos of several different trees in bloom. I have nothing special to say about these trees, and only invite you to admire their blossoms along with me. I wish I could share the scents that perfumed the air — blissful in the extreme — but until someone invents a scent-sharing meme, you’ll simply have to imagine the sweetness.
Blooming most prolifically were the black locust trees. (That’s not a surprise. As anyone who lives in an area where they grow will know, they seed around so easily that some people consider them weeds.)
Black locust in bloom = heavy perfume.
A close-up of their blossoms shows yellow centres in pea-like clusters.
The botanical name is Robinia Pseudoacacia, or false acacia.
Blooming along with the locust trees were elders and mock orange, creating a world of white. In contrast was the red horse chestnut tree in full bloom in the square outside my hotel.
Aesculus x carnea is a hybrid between A. pavia (red buckeye) and A. hippocastanum (horse-chestnut). Â This may be the most common cultivar ‘Briotii.’
Do the colours attract the bees or is it the perfume? Or is it the combination? Whichever, the bees were loving the tree in the late afternoon sunshine.
I wasn’t the only one who liked this blossom.
The shape of this old Paulownia tree in Parco Massari caught my eye, as did the mossy trunk and the strange boll at the base.
Paulownia trees are sometimes called princess trees because they were named after Anna Paulowna, queen consort of The Netherlands and daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia.
The Paulownia blossoms showed up well against the green leaves behind them.
Clearly someone needs to prune this tree.
A close-up of the blossoms shows tubular blossoms that resemble those of a foxglove. (Is it ever called a foxglove tree?)
The wisteria for which Italy is so rightly known had finished for the year but I did find one lone blossom that remained in a shady spot.
It’s hard to beat purple blossoms against a background of green.
I’ll be back in Quebec in June and hope to have something interesting to share about my glorious linden tree. Until then, I’ll enjoy reading about yours.
The Paulownia is spectacular! Leaves on the birches are full here!
Apparently no leaves yet on locust trees at home but by the time I’m back, everything should be out in full.
What a wonderful collection of flowering trees. I love the fragrance of black locust.
I love their fragrance, too. So glad you joined Lucy’s meme, Jean.
I’ve not knowingly come across Black Locust Trees. I was going to say how fortunate that a tree with such pretty flowers and lovely scent is so very successful that it can be counted as a weed . . . that was until I looked it up and found it can grow up to seventy feet. I can see that seventy foot trees moving in on any old place they like is not . . . exactly practical!
A friend has a garden named Acacia Acres, after the acres of black locust that were growing there. They cut down about half a dozen of the older trees and have been pulling up seedlings ever since. It is a persistent grower — but for me the fragrance and the twisted shape of the branches in winter more than compensates for its faults.
Thank you, Pat, for your kind comment. How lovely to be among the trees of Italy! I lived in Rome for a year, and we tried to get out and about as much as possible.
You are lucky to have lived in Rome for a year. There is so much to see and do there — even a year isn’t enough. We lived in England for a number of years and in China a long time ago. Both were wonderful experiences.
Well I just oohed and aahed my way through this post! I don’t know which of your photos was my favorite, as all of them were gorgeous. Looking forward to reading about your linden tree.
Thanks for the compliments, Tina. I love photography and flowers are such great subjects.
Beautiful trees, beautiful pictures!
Of course I particularly like the Paulownia as I am following one myself. I love the green moss on the trunk of yours.
And as for the black locust, I only think of it as Robinia, and it may be a pest over there, but we have precisely one on the main street 100 yards from my house. It’s not in bloom yet but every year I admire it.
I will follow your blog more closely in future.
All the best 🙂
That Paulownia was particularly impressive, I agree. And thanks for the kind words. Photography gives me a lot of pleasure.
Beautiful photos, Pat – so enjoyable on this rainy gray early spring day!