Two Trees; One Ring

Ready for another week's growth?

The maple tree seems to be getting ready to do something dramatic.  The whole tree looks like this.  From inside the house, I can see these light green buds on the ends of every branch and twig.  The branches are seem to be a kind of reddish color - even though they look quite green close up - and most are very slender and whippy. 

The copper beech is very undramatic this week.  In fact, the branch seems to change more than the bud-like part.  It is now covered in a whitish bloom that rubs off when you barely touch the branch.  And the color of the bark at the join has become greener. 

The weather has been about average for this time of year.  Mostly mild with rain now and then.  There was one frosty morning and lots of fog last night.  I love the fog which rarely visits us here on our mountainside.  There's a soft diffused light that changes how I see things.  And all the evergreens are mysterious soft silhouettes somehow trapped inside the pale glow.  I think the trees are happy in the fog.