I found a beautiful young red maple tree with some bright red buds dangling at eye level and decided to follow those, entering weekly information about the state of the buds into an online citizen ...

Among the larger trees it is the silver maple that sets the pace, the first big tree to bloom. During the waning days of March, I often stop to examine the swelling buds on these trees.

Alternate bearing is more common in deciduous fruit trees such as apples and apricots. The spring flowering buds form during the previous year’s spring and summer.