I traveled home a week earlier than planned from the desert because I couldn’t miss the magnolias. I was also figuring out how to facilitate another adventure in May so needed some days at my desk in between. But mostly, I came home early for the magnolias.

They’re such a short lived delight and a harbinger of spring – even though the cold lingers.

It’s the first buds, deepest burgundy, still furled tight that fill you with anticipation. Slowly over the next few weeks, the flowers bloom, delivering their stunning beauty in every shade of pink. There are magnolia trees all around town and they all bloom on slightly different schedules determined by their orientation to the sun. It extends the delight just a little bit longer.

Just as the first buds hold the promise of something spectacular to come, the appearance of the first leaves on the branches is a reminder that the beauty is short lived. After a few rainy days, the pavement is littered with petals. It reminds me to pause a little longer and take in beauty of the remaining flowers, knowing the window is closing.

Fortunately, the delights of spring a plentiful. The dogwoods are already blooming and the rhododendrons are just starting to open. The rhododendrons challenge the magnolias delivering an even more spectacular palette. The magnolias blooms range from a deep cerise near the calyx, to the palest pink at the edges of the petals. The rhododendrons boast numerous shades of pink on a single plant. Others are shades of orange and peach, transitioning to pink – each more beautiful than the last.

The magnolia branches are now covered in leaves with only a few blooms still holding on. Already, the first of the lupine is appear along the trails, next it will be the foxglove. Even as the cool weather endures, the plants determinedly usher spring along. Nature runs on its very own timeline and summer will soon be here.