Today's the official start of summer, but I'm still celebrating spring-flowering trees. This is an Ohio Buckeye which, despite the name, thrives in Wyoming. Its trunk and branches are particularly sturdy, making it ideal for the strong winds.
What you see in the picture above is the first stage of the flower and leaf buds opening.
Here you see that the flower has emerged, and the leaves are beginning to take shape.
Although it doesn't have the showiest of flowers, the buckeye makes up for their somewhat bland color with quantity.
The next step is the formation of nut-like fruit clusters.
Although these are supposed to ripen in the fall, so far -- and I've had a buckeye in my yard for thirteen years -- I have not seen any last long enough to mature, but there's always a first time, isn't there?
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