Can a plant have blooming flowers even before it has leaves?

The answer is yes!

A few days ago. I started to notice this particular tree that is just right outside our patio. It has blooming bright purplish pink flowers and hence catches my attention straight away. But the strange thing is it's just a tree with blooming flowers and no leaves!

I'm no Botanist and I find this an interesting sight. So, I began observing the tree's development every day. Small leaves have started to bud out by the time I took the pictures today. But the question forms in my head: Can a plant have blooming flowers even before it has leaves?

Finally, today I decided to satisfy my curiousity. I googled around and got the answer. Yes, it can happen. (duh.. obviously) I even ran through the images to see if I could find this particular plant.

I think it's called Magnolia liliiflora ‘Jane’ or Little Girl Hybrids as seen from this website. I compared the images of the flowers and found them similar looking plus it's written that the flowers cover the plant at bloom time in the spring before leaves appear.

Sounds like it and looks like it... so I'll assume it is Little Girl Hybrids until I'm proven wrong. :)