At first glance, it
looks like a giant child armed with a box of
crayons
has been set loose upon the landscape.
Vivid stripes of purple, yellow, red,
pink, orange and green make up
a glorious patchwork. Yet far from being
a child’s sketchbook, this
is, in fact, the northern Netherlands
in the middle of tulip season.
The Dutch landscape in May is a
kaleidoscope of color as the tulips
burst into life. The bulbs are planted in
late October and early
November. More than three billion
tulips are grown each year and
two-thirds of the vibrant blooms are
exported, mostly to the U.S.
