You're right: the second one has something about it... if only the sky were not all white but maybe a tad yellowish. But the plenty of dandelions against the light, and the young leaves ... it all looks good!
The first isn't half as intersting to me. I know, the red leaves of that particular tree look really good as the light shines through them, but the whiteness of the sky, the fact that the photo is so clearly divided in an upper and a lower half, and the background as such aren't telling that much together, I'm afraid.