The blooms of flowering plum trees have been peaking here for about a week. They’ve been a boon to the early bumble bees in need of nectar and a welcome sight for spring-starved residents.
There are over 200 types of trees known as plums, and they’re generally divided into those that are grown primarily for their fruit and those with no or very few fruit that are grown for their beautiful flowers. (The tree shown here annually produces one or two plums and many flowers.)
The flowers of all plumb trees resemble those of cherry, apricot, and peach trees, to which plums are related as members of the huge rose family. Fruit plums usually have white flowers, while the flowering versions often have pink as well as white blossoms.
As with most fruits from the apple family, plums make excellent brandy. In fact, Serbia’s national drink is plum brandy (“slivovitz”), which it distributes worldwide. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 11 [bee] and 12, 2022.)