This time of year, those of us who live in the northern temperate zone, which Wikipedia calls the “tepid  latitudes,” begin to stretch and wake up from winter with the arrival of the pastels of cherry and apple blossoms, and daffodils. In the Pacific Northwest, these colors soon
fade in the rainstorms

that accompany them into town, but unlike the tepid climate, the residents there are anything but lukewarm about the first signs of spring. We pay attention to our flowers and flowering trees, knowing that we could lose them at any time to a surprise rain or hailstorm.

The story is different in the tropics where the colors are more intense, as is the sun and probably the storms, though thankfully we haven’t experienced the latter.

I’ve posted a sampler of trees and flowers from Honolulu. I have a feeling that the Hawaiians, who see color like this exploding year round, take it for granted, something those of us who live in a cooler climate with shorter growing seasons never do.