On a beautiful morning on Sept. 10, through her apartment window looking at Sereggela Place, Sally Ciepliski noticed that something was different with the Schubert chokecherry tree growing in front of the building. The tree that turned dark red in mid-summer had bright green sparks in it.
She came on the balcony to realize that one big branch on the tree turned green, and beautiful fragrant flowers were in full bloom despite all laws of nature.
Ciepliski phoned the Mercury to share this wonder with the community.
Shubert chokecherries, bright trees well-known to Estevan that beautifully bloom in spring and when the heat comes, turn deep purple and stay like that until fall, can be found in many places around the Energy City. Attractive racemes of white flowers that cover the tree in spring are followed by small, astringent black cherries that usually become a treat for local birds.
Ciepliski said that like all other chokecherry trees, this one was in full bloom and just “gorgeous” in spring. The fragrance from it was spreading far around the neighbourhood. Her family has been living in that apartment for three years, but never before have they seen any flowers on the tree in fall.
It’s hard to say if it was the rapid change in weather Estevan experienced earlier this month that could seem like an imitation of spring, or something else, but the fact is the fact. The chokecherry tree on Sereggela Place is blooming in September.
