“As the world warms, Spring slowly pulls away from Winter’s embrace and reaches out for the promise of Summer’s warming touch.” – Ed Lehming

The title for this image, as well as the quote, came to me as soon as I looked at it in my viewfinder. It’s one of those spontaneous images that are created when I am simply looking around me while in the forest. The single spruce bough, with fresh buds forming drew me in and spoke of good things and renewed life that awaits in the coming weeks. While the forest floor is filled with a profusion of emerging wildflowers the trees are also preparing for warmer days, the days where they will grow and put out new growth.

Other trees around this one, particularly hardwoods, are blooming and budding and will explode with life as soon as the temperatures warm up again. Yesterday’s snowfall put a pause on this, but I know it will start back in earnest in the next day or so.

It was not till I looked at the image on my larger screen that I noticed the small spider webs at the tip of the bough. Insects are also preparing for the change of seasons, here taking shelter from cool nights and predators in the dense needles.

There is also promise in the bright and fresh green, a significant change from the dull and dark greens of winter.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 800