You must be thinking of Magnolia x soulangeana, it has the big purplish red flowers that come out before the leaves, most people call that the Tulip Tree, cause they look like tulips and it blooms in mid-spring. I have a photo in the photo gallery of the flowers, check it out, see if that's the one...the yellow poplar has smllish greenishyellow flowers you'd probably wouldn't notice...:)

Bryce Forum Coordinator....

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