Changing Seasons in the Park: February 2016

A visit from some friends had us wandering around some of Vancouver’s garden parks this month.

I was disappointed in the garden beds full of anticipation and not much else, but our friends were delighted, running around identifying all the trees and remarking, “It’s so much more enjoyable when the trees are bare and you can see the bark and the structure of the trees…”

Accordingly I went back to Queen Elizabeth park for my February ‘Season Challenge’ and tried to focus on the bark and structure of the trees.

Paperbark Maple (Acer Griseum).

One of the biggest challenges was actually isolating the structure of the tree in amongst the busy background of the landscaping. Not all trees had a sunny spotlight on them like this small Paperbark Maple.
Showing off its rust-coloured peeling bark.
The peeling bark of this tree has such a Japanese aesthetic quality to it.
Cherry Dogwood also known as the Japanese Cornelius (Cornus officinalis).

This is one of the earliest blooming trees with its clusters of tiny yellow flowers covering it in a yellow haze.
This is the best I could do in capturing the structure of this small tree.
The clusters of tiny yellow flowers are no more than a centimetre across.
Close-up of the flowers.
Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus avellana) with its yellow catkins.

I had to google this one to identify it and found it was often tagged with ‘Four Seasons Garden’. Trying to isolate this intriguing twisty tree against the busy plantings in the background was challenging, and I will have to try it again next November when there is less going on.
A close-up of the yellow catkins.
Western Larch (Larix occidentalis).

Larches are one of the few deciduous coniferous trees, losing their needles in the autumn. I was in for a surprise when I got up close and spotted small pink blooms on its hanging branches.