Fuck off, Magnolia.

Fuck off, Magnolia.
May 26, 2010

In honor of St. Patrick, have something green.

The Barton's backyard is a refuge of sorts. I remember the first time Tyler showed it to me and being completely in awe. I want a yard like that. Do I want the work associated with a yard like that? Nooooo. Thankfully, Laura does.

They've got this giant magnolia tree in their backyard, which they'll tell you almost instantly is the worst tree in creation. But my desert ways are instantly entralled with it. "You mean it blooms??! The tree blooms??! It's like living in Georgia! Get me the sweet tea!" Pretty sure Tyler thought I was insane with the amount of time I spent taking pictures of that tree.

From wiki: "Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. As a result, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are tough, to avoid damage by eating and crawling beetles. Fossilised specimens of M. acuminata have been found dating to 20 million years ago, and of plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae dating to 95 million years ago." So, I don't care. Magnolia's are badass.

I've also learned that they're fantastically terrible to take care of. There's one right by my house that the owners have just decided to set free and the mangnitude of this beast cannot be overstated. In fact when Greg gave me directions for the first time, he said, "Turn left at the giant fuck-off magnolia." If that tree ever dies, I won't be able to find my house.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/25, Aperture f/5.6. My lens was zoomed as far as it would go. Camera was on a tripod and I used a remote. I was probably an easy 40 feet away from that flower. No photoshopping.)