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The Almond trees (Prunus dulcis) are in bloom in the hills above Malaga right now. Yesterday I talked to a man who grew up here and he said that this was the earliest that the Almonds have ever bloomed. I´m note sure when the Almonds have blossomed in the past but January 26th does seem rather early. I wonder if the fact that we have been having an unusually warm month has anything to do with it.
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Dates aside, the Almonds are very beautiful when they are in bloom. Their blossoms are a light shade of pink that makes an interesting contrast with the dark brown, almost black bark color of the tree.
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There are a lot of Almond trees around Malaga. A few days ago while driving back from Granada I saw whole hillsides of Almond trees in full color. Makes for a very attractive landscape.
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When the Almond fruit grows to maturity it becomes a green seed pod with soft, velvet like exterior. As it ripens this turns dark brown and eventually peels off revealing the hard shell of the Almond beneath.
I really like those fuzzy green husks around the almond nut. What beautiful blossoms too!
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon your blog while trying to identify a tree in my yard. Would you mind to give me your opinion of what this is? I have a photo and description of it on my blog: www.americanswede.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!