Pretty this Time of Year

There is one Mimosa or Silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) separating us from our neighbor to the North. There were several before they got chop-happy. I have NEVER UNDERSTOOD what was so infatuating about my backyard that every neighbor around me cut down all the trees, hedges, bushes, fences, etc. so they could have a total, unobstructed view into my back yard. What is it about privacy that is so offensive to these folks? Well, I got bad news for them. I might not can afford a fancy redoak privacy fence surrounding my entire backyard, but I can strategically plant plenty of trees, bushes, and shrubs around my backyard that can provide some semblance of privacy.

But back to this lovely member of the Pea family; yes this tree is a legume. This tree was introduced to the United States as an ornamental tree from Asia in 1745. Since then this tree had done very well, even escaping out into the wild. The USDA Forest Service has it listed as an invasive species. I remember Dad having some and I knew how hard it was to keep it from sprouting up all over the yard (it had really shallow roots). They were great for climbing and what I like to watch is their leaves shut up every evening and open up again in the morning. I would learn later that this is called nyctinastic movement.