Cushy Calyx

Spring has progressed here during the week we were in the blooming paradise of Portland, and I enjoyed a walk around the front and back yards to see -- and photograph -- what was new. The pale pink daphne flowers, the darker pink blueberry buds, and the bright yellow flowers of our mahonia shrub were very cheery to see, but when I reviewed my photos, these apple blossom buds were the winner for me.

Take a closer look at that bud cluster here -- they look as if they're wrapped in scarves of very fine fur. I had to do some online research to find out the name of those "scarves," since I last studied botany in high school, circa 1964.

The botanical meaning of calyx is "the whorl of sepals of a flower collectively forming the outer floral envelope or layer of the perianth, enclosing and supporting the developing bud" (Webster's Online Dictionary). An apple tree's calyx is made up of five green, leaf-like structures called sepals.

I think I like "furry scarves" better than "sepals."