After nearly half a year of bare twigs, the plane and lime trees are bursting into leaf at last. Where sunlight catches the new leaves a distant street corner tree flares into view, only to disappear when the sun goes behind a cloud or a building.

 

 

In Place des Vosges the horse chestnut trees around the central statue are already casting deep shade while in the lime allées the shadows still show a scattering of individual leaves.

 

 

The neatly pruned blocks of trees give sharp-edged blocks of shade but the individuality of the trees isn’t yet hidden under a dense canopy of leaves.

Much of the beauty of deciduous trees lies in seasonal change, the freshness of spring, the welcome shade of summer, the rich colour of autumn and the stark silhouettes of winter. The stark silhouettes go on rather a long time but the spring leaves are worth a wait.

Here’s a flashback to the Place de Vosges allées in autumn and in winter.