The season for tsubaki

The bloom period of Tsubaki, or Japanese camellia, is hard to pin down. Because they can bloom anytime from November to April. But when you get to know your local tsubaki you get to know roughly when they will bloom.

So the tsubaki in my local park really took me by surprise today. They normally bloom in December and then again in February. But they were blooming, unexpectedly today, in January. I don't know if they are the December bloom late this year, or if the February bloom is early! 

Regardless, its always nice to see flowers in winter. I love that tsubaki blooms while all other flowers are sleeping. A wonderful, vibrant reminder that nature is still very much alive in winter.