It’s the Jewish holiday Tu B’Shvat (the 15th of the Jewish month Shvat), called the birthday of the trees. Originally used for agricultural accounting, in modern times on this day we celebrate the many gifts of trees, including shade, food, beauty, inspiration, and oxygen in the air. Happy birthday and thank you, trees!
And in this secular month of February, my poetry group and I are in our twelfth year of a month-long poetry writing commitment. For me this year, it’s a poem every other day. Most years the two Ceanothus trees in my front yard show up in a poem. At this time of year, they are either getting ready to or beginning to blossom in my favorite color, purple.
A note: I usually call this family of trees and shrubs by its scientific name, Ceanothus, but I used its English name “California Lilac” for the title, because lilac is a shade of purple and California associates it with this place. I think they are called lilacs for the color and shape of the flowers. They don’t have that wonderful lilac aroma.
California Lilac
Ceanothus, densely dotted with pale buds
amongst little, leathery leaves
purple potential
buds burst to abundance
of blunt brush-like blossoms
purple profusion
fuzzy flowers, in sun’s heat, host
buzzing bees sporting pollen pantaloons
purple perpetuation
generations, variations, grow
on steep slopes, in clay soil, with scant water
purple persistence
© Karin Fisher-Golton, 2025
I’ll share this post for Poetry Friday tomorrow. For those looking for more Friday poetry that day, visit this week’s host Linda Baie at https://www.teacherdance.org for an abundance of poetry links.
Also blossoming is my communication about my writing. I’ve made an email list for those who want to keep the most up-to-date about my projects, with a particular focus now on my upcoming middle grade time-travel novel. More on that book here soon. I send occasional emails when I have something to share. You can click here for a little more information and the opportunity to sign up (if you haven’t yet): https://tinyurl.com/KarinSubscribe2.
Karin Fisher-Golton 
Hi Karin,
I enjoyed your “California Lilac” poem.
Love Yael
>
Thank you! I know you are with me on enjoying garden beauty.
Nothing nicer than California blooming when here in Colorado, we expect snow again, Karin. It seems like a good idea to put all those poems together about your special lilac trees! I love “pollen pantaloons” – that’s the image!
Thanks, Linda! Yes, we have a spring preview here for folks to the north and east.
Trying again – if this posts twice my apologies!
Karin, I have never seen such dense lilac blooms! My east coast variety are spindly by comparison. Your poem made me wish I were inhaling the perfume of those fuzzy blooms right now!
It did not post twice–sorry you had some difficulties. Thank you for persisting.
This tree is not related to the east coast variety and doesn’t have that wonderful perfume. I think it’s called “lilac” because of the color and shape of the flowers. Thank you for that pointing out. I updated the post. And I do enjoy thinking of the eastern lilacs!
“buzzing bees sporting pollen pantaloons” What an image!
Thank you for the lovely tree images. A little taste of spring for us in cold NE.
Thank you! Glad to send a little spring east.
Happy Tu B’Shvat and HOORAY for the trees! Like Linda B, I wish we had some blooming going on, but it is cold cold COLD here in Ohio!
Yes, hooray for the trees! Sending warm wishes to Ohio.
Since I’m reading this on the 15th, I will spend some time celebrating trees today. I loved the alliteration in your poem and the beautiful pictures that went with it. Wish I could find some blooms today, but it’s still too cold.
Thank you! Once I had the idea for those third lines, I decided to go all in on the alliteration. It was fun.
Purple profusion – wow! Thanks for sharing all the backstory for these lovely words and pictures, Karen. And – 12 years??! That is awesome. Here’s to poetry AND prose, though maybe not the purple variety. ;0)
Karin, what fun. A blessed way to celebrate the birthday of the trees. The California Lilac is so beautiful. “pollen pantaloons” and “purple profusion” are magical.