“Day by day, the compacted leaf litter of the winter is pushed up by spring flowers, each in their time, brightening the once dull brown forest with new life and colour.” – Ed Lehming

I do believe that spring is my favourite time of year. I enjoy the daily transformation of the seemingly lifeless forest to a wonderland of colour and vitality. This year started off earlier than expected and then slowed down as the days cooled a bit, extending my opportunity to enjoy the spring blooms.

I’ve spent enough time in the forests be able to predict, fairly well, the next bloom cycle. It’s a progression of different species rising from beneath the carpet of fallen leaves, one generally precedes another in a regulars sequence, and for a brief while, they are all blooming at the same time. In this case, the photo taken a week ago, shows a bright yellow Trout Lily sharing the frame with Carolina Spring-Beauties. The Spring-Beauties have been blooming for about two weeks now and Trout Lilies had just starting to bloom.

The blooming of the spring ephemerals can also be quite condensed as they need to complete their pollination cycle before the trees leaf out and block the available sunlight that they need to flourish. This year, that window has been extended by a few weeks of cooler weather, so I’ve been able to cover more areas and find new locations where these little wonders flourish.

As I look out my window today, the skies are still gray and the air is cool, so another venture out will be in order. The gray days are actually better for my photography as I don’t need to contend with harsh light or shadows. As soon as it warms a bit, the trees will leaf out fully and blackflies and mosquitoes will be back in the places I have enjoyed, bug free, for the past few weeks.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/160 sec, f/20, ISO 800