African Tulip

African tulip trees announce themselves from blocks away. They grow tall with a wide crown, and when they bloom the whole canopy fills with upright, waxy cups in shades of orange, red, and gold.

Each flower holds a small pool of nectar at its base, enough to attract honeycreepers, mynas, and any child who has learned to tilt the bloom like a tiny cup. The tree can be a little messy and a lot dramatic, which is exactly why people plant it.

In photographs the color is almost hard to believe — a tree made of traffic-cone orange and flame. It is a good reminder that nature does not always choose subtlety.