It was Sunshine for a Day!

An empty UP on a Monday

Golden narra blooms

Flower detail

Blooms cover the whole crown

Last Monday I went to do a lecture for an Earth Day group in UP.  Since it was a Monday, the roads were almost empty of students, apart from being Holy Week and classes are almost over. But the campus was livened up with the golden yellow flowers of numerous blooming narra trees.

I am not sure what triggers Pterocarpus indicus or narra to flower.  But when trees bloom, they do in unison. Thus in areas where there are several trees growing, the sunshine color is more than just noticeable, it is festive. And indeed insects and birds were feasting on the never ending yellow sprays of flowers.  In the College of Architecture, sparrows and an oriole took temporary residence in a large narra tree, giving us an array of bird calls in the morning  It lasted a couple of days.

Over the College of Architecture

Green again after a day

That Monday I stayed in UP to partake of the sunny feel brought about by the narra blooms. And like clockwork, the next day, the petals were not anymore seen on the trees, but have already carpeted the ground beneath them. It is a shame that beauty could be so fleeting.  I guess, that would have made that Monday much more special, and of course myself feeling blessed to have witnessed it again this year.  Hopefully the narra trees would again be triggered to flower in the following seasons.