back yard

Here's that same bud I've been showing you. This was taken yesterday evening.

Those red fringy things *are* going to be leaves.....





The buds closer to the trunk (the one above is the very tip of a branch) are more advanced in their development. There's no doubt at all what's going on here, leaf-wise.

Look at all the flowers. You know the tree is covered with these buds-turned-into-flower-clusters. No wonder maple trees are so profligate with their seeds.





Here's the bloodroot. Those flowers didn't last very long at all! I'm glad I happened to catch them.