Redbud

Cercis canadensis or red bud is a small tree that displays (as in the picture) an abundance of purple blossoms in the spring. I have always wondered why it was not called pink bud or purple bud! It has large heart shaped leaves during the summer and long seed pods in the fall.

The tree is often called a Judas tree because of its close relationship to the species thought to be the one from which Judas Iscariot hanged himself. Redbuds sometimes grow to a height of fifty feet but more often are in the form of a small shrub fifteen to twenty feet high. Judas would have a difficult time hanging himself in the redbuds that grow in Gilmer County.

It is a joy to see the blossoms of the redbuds appear each spring. The dogwoods are also bursting forth today. This is a great sunny day in Glenville. We are having intermittent warm rains that gently encourage the growth of the spring plants.