The Flamboyan

It's early June in South Florida, and that means it's the season when the Royal Poinciana, or Flamboyan in Spanish, is in full bloom. It's impossible to miss these trees with their brilliant red flowers while driving around, and many roads in the Miami area have nice Poinciana canopies.

For those of you who think that there are no changes of season in South Florida, you need to look around for changes that are unique to the subtropics. The bloom of the Royal Poinciana is one of them.

Being a tropical tree, the flamboyan is also common in Cuba, and thus many Cubans have a special attachment to them. I can't help but wonder how many bittersweet memories the red blooms bring back: childhood memories, memories of loss, heartbreak, exile, etc. Anyway, this post really isn't to accentuate the negative feelings the tree can evoke. However, the tree is probably another thing that's keeping Val busy these days.