Birth of a magnolia seed

The cones (or whatever you call them) of the magnolia tree in my neighbor's yard are birthing their seeds now. The big, red shiny seeds are emerging and looking like fat ticks draining the lifeblood from the tree. Kind of gross when you think of it that way. But they are still beautiful as they are. Life renewing itself is always a wonderful thing.

Magnolias

The magnolia blooms were absolutely magnificent this weekend when I drove through the Vicksburg National Cemetery. The bottom two photos were taken during a light rain.