Or to give it its posh name, Styrax japonicus.
This tree has been in my garden for over thirty years and it always used to produce its first bloom on 5th July without fail. About 15 years ago it started to bloom earlier and this year the first bloom appeared on 16th June despite the harsher than normal winter. I do not know if this can be attributed to climate change ?
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Beautiful shot, Ian. Most flowering plants respond to what is known as photoperiodism or amount of day light v dark. Environmental factors can have an effect, but so can the age of the plant and most especially it's nutrition. Variation in blooming is usually anecdotal, unless you keep detailed records. Variation within a certain range is quite normal. Sorry for the lecture, but the biologist in me is sometimes unrestrained. Oh, and climate change is very real.
@jtdurham Thank you for the "lecture." I have some tiger lilies that have always bloomed on July 4th. A couple of years ago, they started blooming earlier. Interesting information.