This beautiful blossom is on a catalpa tree growing near where I live in London, SE20. I photographed it with another flower behind it - an example of the street art that has also bloomed in the area.
At one time catalpa trees, or bean trees, were relatively rare in England. They're native to America. However, in recent years they've been planted more frequently in gardens and beside roads in my country because they're really pretty with heart-shaped leaves and huge blossom in summer rather than spring. Long bean pods appear in the autumn.
Many years ago I blogged about the Rochester catalpa tree. I tried to research what it meant in folklore and for magic, but didn't come up with much. Googling on the topic again, I learnt that now people are saying it can represent a huge range of things including tenacity, beauty, connection to spirit, and love. None of the sites mentioned their sources.
Apparently the tree has very long tap roots and can survive in areas with little rainfall, so I'd like to think it represents both beauty and tenacity in difficult situations.
If you are in the SE20 area, there's another bean tree in Crystal Palace Park and it's listed in a tree trail you can do. Here's the link: https://crystalpalaceparktreetrail.wordpress.com/
On each Pagan Eye post, I show a photo that I find interesting, with a few words about it. I'm not quite sure what I'll be including - it could be a seasonal image, a pagan site, an event, or just a pretty picture. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself and you must confirm that you are submitting it for A Bad Witch's Blog.
Other previous related posts:
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/07/pagan-eye-camomile-growing-in-my-local.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/05/pagan-eye-what-do-you-think-girls.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/05/the-rochester-catalpa-tree.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/08/the-rochester-catalpa-tree-revisited.html
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