Blossoms, Blossoms and More Blossoms

FTLComm - Tisdale - May 26, 2001

Better than leaves, the glory of the blossom season is a miracle we enjoy every year and though these pictures capture the images it is unfortunate we can't ship you the aroma. The picture on the right shows a busy bee helping herself to the sweet flowers. She can be seen at the middle of the picture about an inch above the bottom. When these pictures were taken, yesterday mid afternoon this tree was virtually alive with bugs.

This picture and the one below are all of the same tree in our back yard. But throughout the community there are similar scenes with various kinds of fruit and ornamental trees in full blossom. One of the oddities of this spring is the retarded situation with the lilacs that would normally doing their show and smell. You can see a lilac in this scene but it is muted and retarded. Apparently the cool temperatures and lack of rainfall have combined to reduce the lushness of the lilacs in 2001.

This picture and those below were taken this morning. This one and its neighbour below are truly remarkable as they are completely covered with blossoms. But while these trees are doing their annual display I received a message from Swift Current area this morning as Edwin Wallace reported that his crops are up and looking like they are ready to go but he says that without immediate rain the situation in his part of the world is critical. He pointed out that the Wheat growers are very anxious about the drought conditions because of the tight economic situation. To break even they will require crops of more than 40 bushel per acre which is very rare for that dry part of the province. The good crops in years past have given them cause for high expectation and farmers have come to think it is their own good management that has kept them in business but without rain the show this year is going be a failure.