cotton candy pink
blooms pop from bare black branches,
beacon for long-tongue bees
This tree should really be called pinkbud or magenta bud, but redbud is easier to say and conveys the feeling of a tree burning with bright flames covering its curving, charcoal branches. The Eastern Redbud, native to eastern and parts of midwestern United States, puts on a vivid display in early spring when the showy flowers pop out from the bare branches and even the trunk of the small, spreading tree. The tubular, two-tone blossoms, cotton candy pink and maraschino cherry, are pollinated by long-tongue bees such as carpenter bees. It is a favorite ornamental tree in urban areas, but it is even more of a delightful surprise to see it flashing among still-dormant oaks, hickories, maples and elms in the woods and on the banks of rivers.
