Fashionably Early, as Only Mother Nature Knows How

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Early last week, I walked out of the front door and saw my Ford Ranger covered in white petals fallen from the crabapple (Malus sp.) that forms an umbrella over my spot in the driveway. My filthy silver pickup looked as if it were decorated for a wedding parade. But then it struck me that it was far too early in spring to be wearing white. What would the fashionistas say about wearing white before Memorial Day?

But as I thought about it, I realized that Mother Nature is blissfully unaware of this seasonal etiquette, or she's once again decided to shun the shackles of human constraint and rebel to her heart's content. Whatever the case, when it comes to woody ornamentals, the dominant spring fashion has been cascading clusters of white.

As I've photographed my home garden, the University of Illinois campus, the Illinois Arboretum and the Missouri Botanical Garden this spring, my lens has found white in all shapes, textures and sizes.