Dancing Debutantes

Hair tightly coiffed
White skirts swirling as they twirl,
Dancing debutantes.


I'm sure debutantes don't wear white dresses to coming out balls anymore, but they do in my imagination.

In previous years this tree has been hidden behind other large shrubs, so wasn't quite so vigorous or visible. last year the space around it was cleared and this year it is absolutely covered in these blooms, or more accurately leaf bracts. The "flower" is the little strawberry shaped thing in the middle. Gradually the bracts will turn a creamy white, then in the autumn the green things turn a pinkish red. The tree is sometimes called a Szechuan Strawberry tree for this reason, but it's proper name is Cornus Kuosa, or flowering dogwood.

So now you know !