Magnolias are the Southern belle of trees–steely, proud and enduring.  With charming appeal and unforgettable fragrance, their beautiful exterior masks a complicated interior, full of life and secrets worth discovering.

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When I close my eyes and quiet my mind, fragmented childhood memories struggle to surface–playing underneath the cover of a thousand-foot-tall, thousand-year-old magnolia.  Low-lying branches, tangled and gnarled, rival a Hogwartsian staircase

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Cradled in secure branches, I remember "peeling" the bloom when it was just a velvet pod; in so doing, robbing it of life and the world of one more touch of beauty.  Children are indifferent that way; seldom do they understand the consequences of selfish, self-indulgent action.

Two young magnolia trees stand sentry at our neighborhood’s main
entrance.  Every day I’ve watched with delight as blossoms take turns
unfurling their milky petals, reminding me of fragile ornaments on a
Christmas tree.

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I finally made an appointment with the twin magnolias; they begged to have their portraits made.  When I began clicking image after digital image, I realized I wasn’t alone–the blooms were very much alive with activity!  Bees were buzzing all around, busy about their business but having so much fun!  They’d navigate space between each petal and roll around in [whatever that stuff is in the pictures] before flying out with legs dusted in pollen (reminiscent of toddlers in a ball pit at your nearby Chuck E. Cheese).  These black and yellow fuzzies held me prisoner; I was so enchanted by their machinations, I almost forgot why I was taking pictures in the first place.

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A l m o s t ;).

I’m adding this to Carmi’s Thematic Photographic for this week; his current theme is "nature".  He’d love for you to join him, so visit Written Inc. for complete details.

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