A friend of mine claims linden trees ( Tilia sp. ) always bloom for Fathers' Day. And so they are this year. That ubiquitous pleasant (sometimes saccharine) fragrance in your neighborhood is probably a linden tree opening its nectar-laden flowers — one common name, "bee tree," seemed appropriate this morning, as I witnessed a bumble bee working over the specimen pictured below.
If you look closely, lindens have a rather odd flower configuration. Is that single asymmetrical leaflet a bract? And the way the stalk originates mid-blade — and seems to pierce it — reminds me of Uvularia, particularly U. perfoliata.
Linden blossoms on W. 101st Street.