We turned the corner and saw an amazing pink explosion of color. I exclaimed with an awe-inspired breathy, “Wow!” The tree was twelve feet tall and shaped like a lopsided umbrella. It was erupting in pink blossoms. We rerouted to walk beneath its limbs. The sidewalk was a bride’s dream as the petals filled the walkway with color and joy. Occasionally, a flutter of fuchsia passed our faces as another one descended to carpet the way.
We posed for pictures and to marvel at the sight. It was suggested that it was a cherry tree, but that did not seem right to me, but I was uncertain so it became a cherry tree while we were interacting with it. Our night proceeded as we walked on to dinner, but I kept thinking about that tree. It was beautiful. It was overwhelming.
I had parked by the tree last summer, but at that point, it was just one tree among many trees. It did not stand out or even attract my attention. Last week, however, it dominated the landscape. It was loud and dominated the road. It was incredibly more than I could have ever imagined.
When I got home, I uploaded the picture to https://identify.plantnet.org. In about 3 seconds the website told me the tree was Handroanthus impetiginosus (commonly a Pink Trumpet-Tree). The first word is its Genus, a combination of the name for a Botanist (Handro) and the Latin word for flower (Anthus). The second word, its species, comes from our common word for Impetigo - a skin infection that is pink and yellow. The blooms are shaped like little trumpets and nectar-gathering birds and insects love them. They bloom for 2-3 weeks. I felt blessed to have seen it in full bloom.
Recently I have been using my phone to identify things. I have learned to let it listen to bird calls and tell me what is hiding in the trees. This was my first attempt at plant discovery. I can tell it will not be my last. There is a vast world that we don’t know. We are so limited in what we can master and what we can memorize. It’s amazing that my phone can have access to so much more information.
God has more for us too, more than we could ask or imagine and the Holy Spirit is our access point. Ask the Spirit to show you the more God has for you.