W&OD Trail, evening of April 2, 2010

Besides the showy ornamentals, such as cherries, pears, and magnolias, there are also many more subtle wonders of nature right now.  For example, all up and down the W&OD trail the sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum, see the Virginia Tech fact sheet) are blooming, as in this spectacular example just west of the intersection of the W&OD trail with Michael Faraday Drive.

I did not get a good direct shot of the blossoms, but in this image one gets a sense that the sassafras bloom consists of many tiny six-rayed flowers clumped together in yellowish-green balls.

Meanwhile, in the weedy undergrowth on both sides of the W&OD trail, the devil's walking stick (Aralia spinosa, see the Virginia Tech fact sheet) is busily sprouting.  As this post from last fall shows, this plant turns into a quite large shrub.  But over the winter most of the year's growth breaks off and decays, leaving a single stick-like stem with the scars from previous years ringed in fierce thorns.  In late winter these form forbidding thickets of spiky stems, but over the past couple of weeks green buds have formed on the top of each stick, and these have now opened to reveal this year's growth starting to unfold.

In the southeastern corner of the intersection of the W&OD bike trail with Isaac Newton Square is this beautiful weeping or Higan cherry (Prunus subhirtella, see the Virginia Tech fact sheet) draped over some bike lockers.

This close-up of the blossoms shows the five-fold symmetry, yellow stigma, and reddish calyx as well as the pronounced horizontal lenticels on the stems that clearly identify this as a cherry.

Also quite noticeable now along the W&OD trail and throughout Reston is that the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is beginning to leaf out.  Four weeks ago, as shown in this posting, branches were bare, graced only with the dried husks of the fruit structures.  Those structures are still present, as can be seen in today's picture, but surrounding them now are new young leaves with their characteristic four lobes.

Finally, on the W&OD trail adjoining the Fannie Mae gardens just east of Old Reston Avenue is this magnolia, which I had earlier shown in its bud stage in this posting.  The white-blooming tree in the left background is a feral Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana), while the dull gray-green bush in the right background is the equally invasive autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), which dominates the undergrowth along large stretches of the W&OD trail.

In my earlier posting I had supposed, based purely on the bud, that this might be a Japanese or saucer magnolia.  But it clearly is a star magnolia (Magnolia stellata, see the Virginia Tech fact sheet) instead.  For a much larger star magnolia, see  this posting from a week ago.

Isaac Newton Square, evening of April 2, 2010

At the eastern end of Isaac Newton Square is this glorious row of Yoshino cherries (Prunus x yedoensis) that are now at their peak bloom (no need to go to the Tidal Basin in Washington!).

Ah, what a beautiful display!

This image clearly shows some of the defining characteristics of the cherry blossom - its five-fold symmetry, the single yellow pistil at the center, the light-colored stamens surrounding it, and the somewhat thickened calyx supporting the flower.

Along the south side of the Reston Association headquarters (and mirrored along its north side), right in the center of Isaac Newton Square, is this magnificent double row of saucer magnolias (Magnolia x soulangiana), which is in spectacular bloom this year.

What a wonderful sea of magnolia blossoms (somewhat pinker than the standard variety of saucer magnolia encountered in Reston)!

And yes, as shown in this shot (with colors somewhat bleached by the flash), it is a double row of magnolias - so you can entirely surround yourself with their beauty!

Right around the corner, along the western side of the Reston Association headquarters (you can see some magnolia blossoms at the very right edge of the image), is this sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in full softly-green bloom.

Especially against the backdrop of the magnolia blossoms one can clearly make out the long green drooping stalks that bear the sugar maple flowers.  Compare this Vanderbilt site for more on the sugar maple and its flowers.

Evening of March 27, 2010

At the northern end of the Charter Oak townhouse development is this beautiful grouping of magnolias, with a white star magnolia (Magnolia stellata, see Virginia Tech fact sheet) flanked by two pinkish saucer magnolias (M. x soulangiana, see Virginia Tech fact sheet) and backed by hollies.

A closer look at the star magnolia, with a Norway spruce (Picea abies) at the left edge of the image.

The saucer magnolia blossoms (slightly bleached by the flash in this image) have not yet actually opened up.  In many years they are damaged by frost and wilt before opening, but it appears this year they survived our recent near-frost unscathed.

In the central lawn of the Charter Oak townhouses is this staple of early Reston springs, the forsythia (Forsythia spp., see the Virginia Tech fact sheet).

A close-up of the forsythia flowers.

Splashes of bright yellow are supplied in springtime as well by daffodils (Narcissus spp.), such as this bunch near the entrance to the Charter Oak townhouse development.  There are apparently more than 50 species of daffodils (see this Wikipedia article);  maybe next year I'll pay more attention to their variety.

Across North Shore Drive, at the southern entrance to the Ivy Oak townhouse development, is this cherry tree now in bloom - I believe this is a Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis, see the Virginia Tech fact sheet), like the ones that blanket the Tidal Basin in Washington.

Ah, what pretty flowers!

Back at the Charter Oak townhouses, there is this cherry tree that is still getting ready to bloom, with a pinker color to the blossoms.  This may be the Akebono cultivar of the Yoshino cherry.  (Note added April 4:  the more I think about it and compare it with other cheriies in Reston, the more I think this might actually be a purple-leaf plum, Prunus cerasifera).

A close-up of the flowers of this tree, showing very slightly rose petals sitting in a darker pink calyx.

And finally, if one shifts one's attention from the glorious flowering trees to the ground cover, one can find periwinkles blooming.  Not quite sure whether these are greater periwinkle (Vinca major) or lesser periwinkle (V. minor), and I have no idea what the other flowering ground-cover plant in this picture is.

Morning of March 7, 2010 (continued)

Buds ready to burst forth on a deciduous magnolia on the north side of the W&OD bike path east of Old Reston Avenue.  This is probably either a Japanese magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) or its hybrid, the saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), for which see this Virginia Tech fact sheet.

On the north side of the W&OD bike path, midway between American Dream Way and Isaac Newton Square, one can find a number of these tall bushes that are now bearing a profusion of catkins.  I don't know what this might be, though it quite well could be a member of the birch family, perhaps eastern hophornbeam.

Dried fruit husks on a sumac (Rhus spp.) on the south side of the W&OD bike path west of Isaac Newton Square.  For a view of sumacs in fruit last fall, see this post.

Dogbane (Apocynum spp.), with its characteristic tuning-fork-like seed pods, in the clump on the south side of the W&OD bike path just east of Wiehle Avenue that was also featured in this post.  Most of the seed pods are still closed and dried up;  only a few have opened (note the much lighter-colored leaf-like structures in the upper center of the image;  these are seed pods that have split open).