Itchy...

The Hawthorn Tree in my backyard, is very pretty when in bloom and very nasty whenever it wants to be. Although I called the photo "Itchy", technically I wouldn't want to be caught in it as its branches have sturdy one inch thorns that, from firsthand knowledge, are strong enough to pierce through thick rubber soles.  Apparently there is plenty of symbolism and meaning tied to this type of tree, but the two words that seem to come up most often are Hope and Heart, even though it doesn't look like much. Here's a picture from last spring.