The Lavendering of Los Angeles

May 19, 2009 by Pastor Dan.

Every Spring the jacaranda trees have their magical moment in Los Angeles. People say the flowers are purple, but in the bright sunshine, let’s be real: they turn lavender. What makes them quite spectacular among flowering trees is that most of the blossoms come on mature trees when they are bare of leaves during a brief deciduous period. And when the blossoms begin to drop, the remain quite lavender on the ground—or on grass, sidewalks, windshields, everywhere. The flowers are also slightly sticky, so they stick around a long time.

Some people hate them for the lavender mess they make. Probably homophobic types who resent the springtime spree of unregulated color. I love the jacarandas. In fact I’m about to plant another one in my backyard.

Most years, the jacarandas are in full form by Mother’s Day, and have pretty much spent their blooms by early June, the season for Pride parade in Los Angeles. But this year, for whatever reason, the blooms are late by several weeks, and only now are beginning to come to peak. So I suspect that this year’s Pride parade will be surrounded with a riot of color.

Hopefully, when the California Supreme Court decision comes down this week or next (possibly sustaining Proposition 8 and therefore bad news for us), a riot of color will be the only riot we experience.

The jacarandas are good reminders of our need for patience and also for coming out. The jacaranda, after all, pretty much look like an ordinary tree for the rest of the year. And in the Spring they just come out.

—Pastor Dan Hooper, Los Angeles

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