Florida Is Now Ablaze in Color
One of my favorite things about the summer
When we left for Japan in the middle of May, we were just beginning to experience one of my favorite things about living in Florida. It’s something that some of our “snowbird” friends miss each year when they leave to go back up North for the summer.
Towards the end of May, there’s one tree which starts to bloom, decorating our parks, streets and yards. In Florida, we call it the Royal Poinciana tree, Delonix regix, native to Madagascar but which does well in tropical and semi-tropical regions like Florida. In other countries, it's known as the flamboyant tree or the flame tree.
Most of the time, its blooming season lasts for a few months every summer, but this depends on the weather, including the temperature and rainfall, in the months before the bloom and while the tree is in bloom. Every year can therefore be different. The exact color of the flowers can vary from one tree to another and from one year to the next. They range from a deep red to an intense orange and every shade in between.
When we returned last week at the end of June, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were many trees which weren’t yet totally covered in flowers. Now I can hope to see these blooms for at least another month or two. Unfortunately, some of the intense rainstorms that we can expect this time of year will knock off many of the flowers from the trees, resulting in a red-orange carpet on the ground.
See my post from last year on this subject:
Our Colorful Florida Summer
I feel sorry for the “snowbirds” who leave Florida when it’s really starting to heat up. These are the people who go back “up North” after the Easter/Passover holidays and don’t return until around Thanksgiving. I think they are missing some of the best things that Florida has to offer during the summer.
Right now we up here in NW Pennsylvania are also in full color now that the downpours of June have finally ended. July has brought us sun and happy flowers.