Everyone thinks of fall as the season that gives everything a splash of color for a few short weeks.  The same can also be said for spring.  I was in Alabama last week and on the drive down you could see spring unfolding over the 400 mile drive.  In addition to the blooming trees, many of the maple trees in the south start there seasonal growth with deep red leaves that quickly turn green as the leaf matures.  So you have the brown of trees that haven't started putting on leaves yet, some green leaves, and some deep red leaves all mixed in with the blooming trees.

Here are a couple of pictures of two of the blooming trees already in full glory in Alabama.  The first is the hoppa crabapple tree.  Getting grandchildren to taste crabapples has been a favorite joke of grandfathers in the south for generations.  In the spring, these trees are among the first to break out into their spring colors.  You can find pictures of the whole tree numerous places on the internet, here I wanted to focus on the density of the blooms.

<center>[![DSCN1656.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/600x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUGv6Nhw2yY3uPTF52Tq8BMnqVzDVnzAyme3bbfYeTRss/DSCN1656.jpg)](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUGv6Nhw2yY3uPTF52Tq8BMnqVzDVnzAyme3bbfYeTRss/DSCN1656.jpg)</center>

The second tree in bloom are the redbuds.  It's possible the buds come out red, but the blooms as you can see are pink.  At the right time of the year a drive down I65, and probably other interstates, through Kentucky and Tennessee will display these trees growing wild along the side of the road. 

<center>[![DSCN1666.JPG](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/600x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdT32gVUMgK4yHhzBuKBDQbpVzp7mEaYAyhXCeWMC1B1x/DSCN1666.JPG)](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdT32gVUMgK4yHhzBuKBDQbpVzp7mEaYAyhXCeWMC1B1x/DSCN1666.JPG)</center>

Spring isn't far away.  Next up will be the dogwood trees.   Eventually we get to the real fruit trees (peaches, apples, pears, etc.) blooming and they we will really know spring is upon us.