Magnolias in DC

DC is a couple of weeks behind, spring-wise, to Arkansas. This was great news for us, because it meant that all the flowering trees were at their peak. The famous ones are the cherry trees, and I will get to them later in the week, but the other beautiful ones were the magnolias.

S. and I set out to explore the Mall area, and our first stop was the garden outside the Smithsonian Castle (picture of that later in the week, with the buildings themed post). There, the trees were thick with blossoms - see top picture - and the ground was covered with a light snow of petals. We have this variety of magnolias in Arkansas, but according to S., the frost always gets to them before they can come to full flower - and that is what happened this year. So it was nice to see them in such numbers in DC.

Later in the day, we came to some large building, surrounded by a fence - I wonder what it could be? I was excited to see the bee hive in the grounds, right next to another magnolia. The hive was busy, and you could see the bees going in and out, even from a distance.
By this point in the day, the sun had come out, the dew had dried, and the flowers were wide open. Just lovely.
Stay tuned this week for cherry blossoms, interesting buildings, monuments and memorials, and a tour of NPR.