Recently I moved into a new apartment complex off South Congress. The location is great as it’s super close to St. Edwards and just a few minutes from downtown. I’m generally selective about where I park. I like to park away from other cars and try to avoid parking under trees where birds like grackles roost and defecate. Last week after a quick rain I come out to find my car covered in these small pink/purple flowers. I had to determine who the culprit was as soon as possible. I figured out it was the Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). The reason I had all these flowers on my car is because this species is a beautiful summer-flowering deciduous tree-shrub. The Crape Myrtle has been called the lilac of the south. It is native to China and Korea but has naturalized to the southern US.
As I came to know, the Crape Myrtle is valued for its long period of striking papery crepe-like 
flowers. In the summer these flowers my be shades of white, pink, red, or lavender. Bloom times can vary, but large clusters appear on the tips of new branches beginning in summer and into the fall. Interestingly, if you cut the fruits from the tree, you can stimulate more bloom in 30-45 days. The Cape Myrtle is generally a shrub, but some side shoots and trunks can be clipped to train it into small tree.
