Blowin' in the wind

..or the park.  So to speak.

I had expected to pair yesterday's blip with something rather different, but when I saw that this tree in Abbey Gardens was flowering I couldn't resist.  In case you've never seen one - and I've never seen another - this is Davidia involucrata, otherwise known as the paper/pocket handkerchief tree, or dove tree, or ghost tree, which I think comes originally from China.  Its flowers are the small dark globes you see here and they each have 2 bracts, one long, the other shorter.  The bracts are white and veined like leaves, but bigger than the leaves and they blow and bobble about under the branches.  All told, pretty spectacular, so I thought you might like to see them.

The connection to yesterday's is obvious.  I have to say, though, that I had forgotten how slow the camera I'm now using is to focus.  I wasn't best pleased at how long it took to capture this!

Enjoy your evening - I'm off to singing so I shall enjoy mine  xx