Blogging from A to Z: L Is for Lilacs

 

I had a lot of ideas for "L", but once I saw this lilac bush on Friday I knew that L is for lilacs.

While riding on the bus down Broadway on Friday I made the discovery of lilacs in bloom in Manhattan. I made a return visit today and they are now in complete full bloom. The scent is as close to heaven as I will get on this earth. It's just one bush in front of a modern brick apartment building. The rest of the greenery is not particularly eye or nose catching, but somehow this lone lilac bush has held its own in a not very friendly environment. I'll be taking the same ride tomorrow on my way to the gym and the post office and I'm planning on a return visit. Lilac season is quick and fleeting. 

Lilacs in Seoul, South Korea, 2015. 

Six years ago I spent a few days in Seoul, also in April. One of the delights of my visit was that it was lilac season in Korea and there were large lilac bushes blooming all over downtown Seoul. I took this photograph in a park I visited, but found lilacs beside office buildings in the main business area, too. 

Closer to home, these pink lilacs were found during a visit to the beautiful Brooklyn Botanical Gardens a few years ago.  

Growing up in Connecticut we had lilac bushes in both of the houses that my family lived in, and every year when the lilacs bloomed was a special time. I don't think a New England house is complete without at least one lilac bush as a reward for living through the New England winter. But lilacs didn't arise in New England. Their history goes back to Greek mythology. The myth goes that Pan, the god of forests and fields, had unrequited love for a nymph named Syringa. She was afraid of his advances and to disguise herself when he was pursuing her, Syringa turned herself into a lilac bush. Like so many myths, it's a sad story, but it gave rise to the name for the common lilac, which is known as Syringa Vulgaris, and is said to have arisen in Eastern Europe. It's believed that the first lilacs in America arrived in the 1750's and were planted in New Hampshire. 

Now for a few matters of blog keeping...For my Pink Saturday friends, I looked for a post for Pink Saturday, but couldn't find a post for this weekend. Alas, no Pink Saturday link this week as a result. For those who have been keeping track of the A to Z posts -- which for those who have kept up are almost finished -- "K" is missing in Buttercupland. I got totally bogged down in my Koala post and realized the only way to get back on track was to forge ahead with "L." I'm planning to do a koala post at some time, but for now will move along the alphabet. We're going traveling again for the next post and we will be in New England. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a great spring week ahead.