The Greens of Spring

I love the color of new leaves in the spring; that fresh yellowy green. Well, that’s how it all looks from a distance, but if you look more closely, different trees are different shades. Driving along our parkways, you can enjoy the mosaic of greenish hues.

Red Maples start off with just red flowers and then as the seeds form and the leaves emerge, you find a nice combination of red and green. Then there’s the Redbuds that are covered with tiny pink flowers before they leaf out. Of course, Redbuds are more southern trees, but they’ve been planted in spots along the Northern State Parkway. In among the green, you might find pinkish-white crab apple flowers or white dogwood blossoms.

But the best part is looking at new leaves close-up. Not only are they soft and sometimes fuzzy, but many have a lovely pink or red blush. Some oak leaves start out entirely pink when they first emerge. Even Poison Ivy leaves start out a deep red before becoming green.

A quick jaunt today into some woods allowed me to enjoy the spring greens. New thin Chestnut Oak leaves are suffused with a deep reddish hue and the leaves on a young Hickory tree not only were green with an almost burnt orange tinge, but the turned back bud scales were garishly pinkish-red. Sassafras leaves often emerge with a delicate pinkish blush and fine fuzzy fur. The unfurling ferns are a very bright light green.

So often, we only consider the woods colorful in the fall, but the spring colors are more delicate and subtler—but with just as much variety. We think of spring colors as all the flowers in our gardens—the crocuses, the tulips, the pansies—all yellow and purple and red and too often miss the amazing variety of greens that are out there in the trees. The spring colors can be enjoyed as much by driving along our parkways as by a walk in the woods. You get the overview while driving but the close-ups while walking.

This spring, don’t just stop to smell the flowers (and please, do that, too!), but also take a moment to appreciate the delicate pink and red blush on the bright green of new leaves.