Handkerchief tree

I veered off my usual path in the park today and walked towards this tree. From a distance I thought it was a magnolia tree that was losing its blossom but when I got closer I realised it was something completely different.
There were only two petals to each bloom and they were fluttering in the breeze and the tree was massed with them.
How had I never noticed it before?
A native of China and only introduced to the UK in 1904 so this would have been planted as a sapling when the park first opened around the same time. It takes 15 to 20 years to produce flowers.
A happy find for me!

[Mags]

What a great find! A good name for it and it's so different.

[Dawn]

A nice find

[Corinne C]

A wonderful discovery and an interesting tree. Thanks for sharing!

[Peter Dulis]

Nice

[KoalaGardens🐨]

oh that's just cute!

[Diana]

Such a wonderful find and capture, I love those most unusual blooms and the details..

[Casablanca]

I did laugh at your fat seagull comment.......seagull coming tomorrow from St Ives! This is an unusual tree. I have never seen one before either!

[Wendy Stout]

Beautiful tree and thanks for the background… I’ve never seen one of these before either. I’m finding the more photography I’m doing the more I am noticing which is really nice

[Babs]

What a beautiful find

[Dione Giorgio]

Pity we cannot admire it in full bloom. Even at this stage it looks gorgeous.

[Pat]

@sangwann Thanks Dione. This is its full bloom. The flowers have only two petals that flutter in the breeze like waving handkerchiefs.

[Fisher Family]

A lovely find and a nice shot of this super tree - fav!

Ian

[Jan Talmon]

Nice

[Margaret Brown]

Beautiful

[PhotoCrazy]

Lovely pic!

[Michelle]

Beautiful capture

[Pyrrhula]

Great shot of this nice tree full beautiful flowers.

[Lesley]

So beautiful. I’ve only ever seen one of these at Harlow Carr. I can’t believe this is on your doorstep.