SPRING GLIDES GENTLY INTO SUMMER

The late afternoon sun is inching towards the spot on the horizon where it will pause for the solstice. I was out in the yard, and noticed how the angle illuminated the leaves of the twin red maples by the breakwall, and the twin red tulips beside the patio. The colors of spring always seem to me the richest, as if Nature is pouring all its energy into renewal. First come the early-blooming flowers, always a welcome sight in a winter-weary yard.



My tulips opened a little late this year – the chill lasted longer on the lake, so they’re still hanging on. They’re not two-tone; it’s the sun back-lighting their delicate translucent petals, and around them the grass and the new leaves show off their bright juicy green–or in the case of my red maples, a brilliant red. Spring progresses in stages. Across the street, the petals from my neighbor’s magnolia have fallen, and the next wave–the lilac buds–are waiting to pop.

As summer wears on, the maple leaves will lose their leaves youthful reds and turn a deeper, brownish purple–a color with the called Mars Violet in my paintbox. Trees with green leaves will grow dull, the grass will lose its spring sheen, and the tulips will be just a memory, but for now everything is shiny and new.