Green Is Unfurling

Here in the northeastern corner of Iowa, the trees have been budding these past few weeks. And now this week, the trees have been starting to leaf out— some of them a bit earlier, some of them a bit slower. Here's the big tree out in my back yard, wearing what at this stage looks like a corona of green:


Here's a closer view of that same tree; in a few weeks, you won't be able to see the branches for the leaves:


And here's a shot of the unfurling new leaves on one of the maple trees out in my front yard. The maples are a bit further along, though they're not fully leafed out yet. If you look carefully, you can also see the whirlycopters: