One early morning dog walk this week highlighted just how pretty tulips have been. With the rising sun behind them, the early light made them look almost transparent. This yard is nothing to write home about but three large clumps of tulips in a fabulous shade of pink along the side yard, one could almost think it’s channeling a “Better Homes & Gardens” landscape.
Even though these tulips are quite pretty, let’s take a look at another beauty that has been blooming, the crabapple tree. As a kid, each street in our neighborhood showcased a different tree on that strip of grass between the street and sidewalk. My family’s designated tree was crabapple and for a couple of weeks in the spring, it was one of the most beautiful streets in the whole area. With this week’s rain and snow, their blooming has been extra spectacular in Denver.
Malus is a genus of apple trees which are small deciduous trees or shrubs that are included in the family Rosaceae and includes the domesticated orchard apple. Other species are commonly known as crabapples, crab apples, crabtrees, or wild apples. The genus is native to the temperate zones in the Northern Hemisphere.
These trees are typically 4–12 m (13–39 ft) talI at maturity, with a dense, twiggy crown. Leaves are about 3–10 cm (1.2–3.9 in) long, alternate, simple, with a serrated margin. The flowers are borne in corymbs, and have five petals, which may be white, pink or red, and are perfect that produce copious amounts of pollen.
Many apples require cross-pollination which are frequently accomplished with the cooperation of bees, which freely visit the flowers for both nectar and pollen. Self-pollination is impossible, thus making these hardworking insects essential.
Several of the species hybridize freely and are a good source of food for butterflies and moths. The fruit is a “globose pome” meaning they are a type of fruit that is produced by flowering plants, varying in size (from 1–4 cm (0.39–1.57 in) diameter in most of the wild species, to about 6 cm (2.4 in) or even larger in certain cultivated orchard apples. The centre of the fruit contains five carpels arranged star-like, each containing one or two seeds.
There are about 42 to 55 species and natural hybrids with about 25 from China.
Can you see why they’re part of the Rosaceae family? I walk past these trees usually twice a day and they look like gigantic bouquets of roses.They were particularly showy yesterday with clear blue skies highlighting those gorgeous blooms. While some people make crabapple jelly from the fruit, more often they provide food for the neighborhood birds in autumn. Do you have any crabapple trees in your neighborhood?
Norman, Elsa and I hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to get out and enjoy some of the beauty Mother Nature offers this time of year.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
I love your post. Every year we crave for this time of year happen. And we cannot think of spring so much until we see something popping out of the soil. Sooner they bloom bringing us the colours of spring. Your pictures are smashing.
Why thank you. Appreciate that. Yes, after a long winter that wore its welcome out months ago, the first signs of spring are so affirming.
We have crabapples here, and also “standard” apples. 🙂 They are lovely in spring, aren’t they?
So beautiful!
Those tulips are gorgeous!! I need to plant more, as I only have three left from the original bunches I planted…they got dug up/eaten. Phooey.
Crab apple trees are so pretty! My sister has one, and it produces oodles of apples each year…she made jelly once, but decided just to let the birds and others have at it instead, LOL!
Thanks. I’m with your sister…there’s just too much work making jelly out of crab apples. And clean up on sidewalks can be a full time job if the birds don’t get them.
live, love, bark, and make sure we all stop to enjoy the flowers of spring
and I can see why those crab apple tree blooms are part of the Rosaceae family –
🙂
They are extra beautiful this year with all the moisture we’ve recently received. The better to enjoy this wonderful season.
yes – the better to enjoy the season indeed 🙂
With all the beautiful colors going on there, winter HAS to finally, mercifully . . be in the rearview. Umm . . . right?
Hope springs eternal 🤞🏻
Fingers crossed indeed!
Miss Monika yore eye fore a grate foto iss wunderfull….those Tulipss are gorgeeus! As are THE crab-apple blossomss an THE Rosey type flowerss!
Wee hope yore weather settless down soon.
Pleese give Stormin Norman mee sweet **kissess** an **purrss**
An ~~head rubss~~fore deer Elsa.
**purrss** BellaDharma an ((huggiess)) LadyMew
Gosh, I’m blushing. Thank you. Yes, the crab apple trees are really something this year. Have a super weekend.
I love tulips, but that crabapple tree is spectacular! I never know the difference between all the flowering trees, just that they are all beautiful. 🙂
They really usher in springtime with beauty.
The crabapple trees remind me of a MASH episode in which a dazed Father Mulcahy rattled on about his sister making a crabapple pie. 🤣🤣
I’ll have to find that episode. 🥧
Charlee: “Whoa, look at all those flowers!”
Chaplin: “We would love to have so many flowers here.”
Lulu: “So that you could stare at the pollinators that come to visit them?”
Chaplin: “Well duh.”
Pollinator watching is fun, Lulu.
Those crabapple blooms are spectacular. There was one of those trees near my house growing up, and I made the mistake of trying to eat one. I think I puckered the rest of the day!
Thank you. Oh gosh…yeah they can be a ‘bit’ sour. Still they make an amazing jelly with some help from sweeteners from the pantry.
Mother Nature has been EXTRA generous with her Spring show this year – we’ve had a lot more rain than usual and weather has been cool so things had time to “show off” more than in previous years we remember. The tulips are gorgeous everywhere…..love the crabapple blossoms – WOW!
Hugs, Pam
Nature seems to have a plan…good thing this spring it’s been a kinder, gentler one. Have a super weekend!
Your tulips are lovely. Ours have started to bloom too. Just in case you’re wondering. I have never seen an apple tree with what looks like double flowers on them. Gorgeous isn’t a strong enough word for the deep beauty he shows us.
Jean
Thanks. It’s always interesting to see what Nature dishes up, isn’t it? Enjoy those tulips!
I have not yet discovered any Crabapple trees on our (Lower) Crabapple Road.
Well that’s unfortunate!
Fruit tree blossoms are always so delicate and pretty!
And they’ve been extra pretty this year.
I miss my crabapples. I had two at my last house. None here…yet.
That sounds hopeful. Right after you’re finished with the painting, right? 😊
What beautiful flowers today, those apple tree blossoms are just gorgeous!!
Thanks. It’s like seeing a beautiful bouquet of roses every day.
Our tulips and daffys are but fond memories and the bulbs are napping in a nice cool closet until Fall. The crabapple next door has dropped its flowers and everything is hellbent for summer including the vegetables!
Egad, I’m just now starting to focus on getting a couple of tomato plants. The starts I founds yesterday are still baby sprouts! Have a great weekend.
Just so beautiful!
Thanks, Helen. The tulips have been prettier this year than I’ve seen in ages. Have a great weekend and give the Thugs some ear rubs from me.
your pics are so good. No tulips here, no pretty flowers in the whole ‘hood but the trees and bushes in my yard have blossoms. I’m afraid they are causing quite a lot of allergies to me, but dh is allergic to pine and regular trees so his allergies are slightly better. Love flowers… miss my yard in MD as I’d spent years adding to the pretty gardens. The soil and conditions are very different here and I am not interested in chipping down thru the “soil” in my yard! It must be much nicer in the Denver area
Older neighborhoods have had lots of time of adding compost to the heavy clay so in that respect, we’re ahead of newer neighborhoods. Heck I’ve been in my house for 19 years and still add compost every year. It’s still very clay-like.
Our Apple and Cherry trees are blooming this week — undaunted by the 3” snow we got! Wo-hoo! Maybe we’ll have fruit later this year!
🤞🏼 Nothing prettier than apple and cherry trees in full bloom. Even with this week’s snow which melted quickly. The day after the storm I thought it had snowed again but realized it was blossoms on the grass.
Yes, our ornamental pear lost many of its petals in the storm. I just hope this new idea of spring rain will continue!
You and me both!
Spectacular, Monika! Gorgeous pictures and as you know, I, too, am obsessed with the tulips this year. I can’t seem to stop trying to capture them with my phone or camera. the flowering trees are sublime. I have taken a couple that I am unsure of. I’m thinking they are a variation of the crab apple (which makes the most divine jelly).
Thank you. Yes, the tulips have been pretty than I’ve seen since moving to this house 19 years ago. Crabapple jelly IS divine, but what a pain to gather up those tiny little fruits. Definitely labor intensive.
Lovely post
Many thanks!
Really beautiful! I was in Boulder last week and experienced the wacky weather for myself. I actually wondered if the tulips would survive more cold and snow, which was in the forecast, but it looks like they are pretty hearty!
I think because it wasn’t too cold, the blooms didn’t flop (which is their usual MO). Hope you had a good visit in Boulder. One of these days when you’re here, we should meet in person. 😊