Soon To Be Pink Clouds

March 23, 2025

Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) are budding out, soon to become charming clouds of pink scattered throughout the trails here in the mountains.

Those buds don’t just occur on twigs. Redbud trees send out buds directly on the tree’s trunk and large branches as well. This behavior is called cauliflory and is found not only in trees but also in some bushes and woody vines. It is found most often in the tropics in trees such as breadfruit, cacao, some figs and papayas.

I love to see the clouds of pink in the woods. It’s particularly enchanting on a foggy day.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.