umbrella

I met this magnolia at the South Carolina Botanical Garden earlier this week, and strange as it sounds, I actually guessed part of its name just by walking beneath its canopy.

Meet Magnolia tripetala, commonly known as the Umbrella Magnolia.  Maybe you can see why “umbrella” leaped to mind just from the photo above.

The tree itself is not shaped like an umbrella, but its vast leaves are arranged at the branch tips in distinct, overlapping groupings, and they certainly deserve the name.  It is a very unusual-looking shade tree, made more so whenever the wind kicks up and the umbrellas bob and sway on their long, flexible handles.

A bizarre, Dr. Seuss-like image came to me as I considered it, of many people standing apart from each other, all resting beneath the scalloped shadow cast by their exclusive umbrella on the tree, chit-chatting away while wearing strangely modern versions of Victorian clothing, sipping tea from unmatched, antique tea cups with deep, “tremble” saucers… and appearing to do a strange dance every few minutes as the locations of their parasols changed.

I could see why lovers, in particular, would prefer a traditional shade tree with a large, enveloping canopy.  This tree provided shade for the individual only — and only if she didn’t wish to sit down, but to remain on her feet and respond whenever the wind mischievously moved her cover a foot north.

The sun was just a little past its zenith when I went under the edge of one of the groups of beautiful leaves.  It may have been an atypical shade choice, but it was delightful to take a cool break beneath a colossal, kelly green parasol that hung over the path.

My eye muscles relaxed; I hadn’t even realized I’d been squinting against the bright light.  After all, I was wearing sunglasses.

It really must be summer here now.  The sun is fierce enough to welcome the temporary refuge of an unorthodox shade tree during the heat of the day, and sometimes sunglasses are not enough protection from its brilliance.

For this Memorial Day weekend (today through Monday), F. and I are going on a teeny little getaway.  Everyone needs a break, a refuge from everyday life now and again.  It won’t be a major vacation, like the all-encompassing embrace of an old oak tree where you can doze the afternoon away.  More like a little individual-sized portion, a breather, a pause under a pretty parasol conveniently propped over the path.

If it’s a holiday for you, too, I hope you also enjoy a sweet little interlude in the midst of your regularly scheduled life.  If it’s not a holiday for you, well, enjoy your weekend anyhow, and maybe check by here for the couple of posts I’ve scheduled in advance.

I’ll see you when I return!

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