trees, early and late

"The trees are coming into leaf
  Like something almost being said."
                        -----Philip Larkin
This has been a stubborn spring; finally the forsythia are in riot. Other too-eager volunteers, such as magnolia, are following suit, dropping their meaty petals on sidewalks and lawns. Yet the horizon from up here in the Vinyl Village is mixed: a few trees have already unfolded leaves. Others are swelling with buds. Still others are as naked and seemingly dead as they were in February. Why the disparity?
     It's all about pollination. Trees are like retail stores, each with its own strategy. Some open extra early. Some keep regular hours. Some open extra late. From what I can see up here,  maples, especially sugar maples, are quick to put out their bunches of small greenish-gold flowers to catch the earliest fertilization. Their leaves are not far behind. (Already they're the size of a child's hand.)
    As of May 1, there are a few species that haven't set leaves and/or flowers: sumac, sycamore, locust, catalpa, and ailanthus. It's probable that  foreign invasives (ailanthus), and those near the northern limit of their range (Catalpa speciosa) and black locust, have good reason to hold back. But what about the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and the sumac (Rhus typhina), both of which are well within their comfort zone? They stand stark naked: the sycamore with its huge boughs tapering into tiny bundles of twigs, the far smaller sumac gracing roadsides all over Columbia County.  Their strategy is to wait out all possible frosts, til June if necessary. Likewise. you would think the catalpas are moribund, and wonder why homeowners don't  have these "dead" trees cut down.  They, too, are waiting and by June their huge heart-shaped leaves will burst out, soon followed by candelabras of frilly white orchid-like flowers.
    My favorites of all, though, have come to life: the redbuds, or Judas-trees, are decked in pink. No leaves, just flowers along each branch, kind of like the holiday lights the city wraps around tree boughs for Winter Walk.

Redbud: not shy once it gets going

Catalpas: dead or alive?