Tulip Time... Again !

Try as I might, I just can't resist admiring these beautiful flowers and so here we are again as another tulip season has opened here !

The varieties of tulip available never cease to amaze me these days, although I certainly don't remember paying any particular attention to them when I was younger - apart from the Parrot tulip, that is...

The displays in the various flower beds around town last year had such an effect on me that even ended up going to Amsterdam, albeit out of tulip season !

I just wanted to see the city that fired the greatest desire for these precious blooms in its citizens.

The colours and shapes of the petals alone are fascinating...

But then there are the oddly-shaped stamens exposed within...

Of course I understand that many of the hybrids are man-made, specifically cross-bred to provide such a wide range...

But what a vast variety!

I can't even decide which one I find the most impressive because they all have such incredible features with colours and textures that explore every possibility.

Even the 'classic' red tulips look stunning in the Spring sunlight, with their dark interiors and bright stamens exposed to any eager pollinator.

This effect is surely taken to its extreme in the gorgeous Parrot tulip, although I have aadly only seen one specimen so far this year.

What wouldn't I do to see a whole collection of those in bloom !

But while I wait for that day, I can certainly content myself with all of these different types...

For even the most simple, modestly hidden in the shade, is very far from plain...