Christmas in July and a Surprise!

Hotwings Maple indeed!

Flash, the maple, is looking very Christmasy, with a canopy of green leaves and red samaras (aka keys or whirlybirds).

The big surprise is Spark, the hawthorn, which I thought was dead last month. It's definitely alive! It has put out shoots along the trunk, from buds likely activated by damage to the upper part of the tree (which still looks quite dead).

Leafy shoots are clearly visible at the base of the dead crown. See the one below the lower tie?

There are quite a few shoots emerging, all the way to the base.Always a fan of the underdog, I told the city arborist that I want to keep this tree ... or maybe now a bush.

Beginnings of a bush?

This is my contribution to the July gathering of tree-followers, kindly hosted by The Squirrelbasket. More news here.