Chinese Elm in Bloom

Yes this is the view through the bathroom window on Sunday.  This was a surprise.  I had not expected the elms to bloom this early in view of the cool February we had.  This is a Chinese elm.  We no longer have American elms here in the valley.  The Dutch Elm Disease (DED) has pretty much relegated the American Elm to memories.  I am told it used line the Valley Pike (Route 11) forming a wonderful arched canopy over the roadway, giving the road a wonderful charm.  Before my time though. 

When I moved into the Valley in the mid-70s, the last vestiges of the American Elms were just dying out.  In its place, people had been planting the DED resistant Chinese elms in hopes of reproducing the glory.  They never quite measured up, failing to attain the regal bearing of the American variety.  They also came with their own problems.  they are brittle and susceptible to storm damage and in mid-summer they are virtually denuded buy the elm leaf beetle which leaves behind canopies of brown skeltonized leaves. 

This particular specimen in my side yard, beside the drive and too close to the house is one of the statelier specimens I  have ever seen.  I shall have to try to get a picture of its encire visage.