Uplifting - Day 120 of 365 #CY365

I love watching the ferns come back to life in the Spring. They sprout new stems and uncurl the beautiful leaves from a tightly wound center, one of the many uplifting signs of Spring. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/160th sec @ f/11.0, ISO 1600, 100mm macro.

At Last! - Day 115 #CY365

Spring is here at last. Several weeks late this year but the strawberries are blooming, so ripe bright red berries can't be too far away. Canon G15, 1/500 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 200 in macro mode.

In the Garden - Day 90 #CY365

In the garden at the Moses Myers House in Norfolk Virginia. Spring is finally here as the oak leaf hydrangea begins to open up. Canon G15, 1/1000 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400 in macro focusing mode.

Aromatic - Day 84 #CY365

I have a bunch of hyacinths planted near our front door. The smell provides a nice welcome home. Here I tried to capture the fine texture of the blooms with a little loose pollen in an attempt to invoke the wonderful feeling you get from the aroma. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/200 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 1600.

Spring - Day 80 #CY365

The Pieris japonica 'Valley Rose' are in full bloom for the first time. These wonderful bushes are flanking either side of our front porch and were recommended and installed last summer with our new front yard landscaping design from Bill Maxwell of Maxwell Landscaping Services. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/250th sec @ f/11.0, ISO 1600.

Living Picture

- My first Lytro "Living Picture" for the blog. I took a picture of these spring flowers at the McDonald Garden Center in downtown Norfolk. Check out the variable focus by clicking on different areas of the picture to move the focus point around. Lytro, 1/125 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 200, 45mm focal length, in creative mode.

Morning Dew

- This morning's heavy dew left little droplets of water on each of the points of these brand new Knockout Rose leaves. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/15 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Bradford Pear

- In the mid 1970's Virginia Beach, like many American cities, planted the Bradford Pear trees along main roads. At the time the tree was considered to be the perfect street tree, with beautiful early white blooms, a nice cone shape, and good fall color. Thirty years later many of trees weaknesses are now apparent including a relatively short life and the tendency to easily break in high winds and under the load of winter ice. These trees are located along Princess Anne Road just southeast of Newtown Road and while some show the effect of age and breakage, the early spring debut of white flowers is still a wonderful sight. Canon G1X, 1/160 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Showy

- Wikipedia says the Iris is a plant with "showy flowers". This is one of my Irises from a 25 foot long bed of them on the south side of my house. All of these come from one plant my next door divided and gave me over 20 years ago. The blooms are really large and stand a top a 3 foot high stem. Canon 7D, 1/40 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 100mm macro photographed in full shade.

Unfurl

- My ferns are unveiling new shoots every day. I love the way they unfurl and quickly expand into a new stem with fully developed leaves. I know I've been giving you a major dose of flower and plant macros lately, but its Spring and there's so much to train the macro lens on. Expect a few more before I find a new creative outlet for my camera lens. Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/9.0, ISO 200. 100mm macro lens.

Snowbells

- The white snowbells are quite a nice addition to any spring garden. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro, LED litepanel.

Busy

- This little fly was very busy on the newly open white flowers next door. Canon 40D, 1/60 sec @ f/11, ISO 400, 100mm macro, LED Litepanel.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

- I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodils;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.
. . . .
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.
From "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" a poem by William Wordsworth often considered his most famous work.
Canon 40D, 1/160 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro with LED Litepanel for illumination.

Quince

- The flowers of a white quince shrub in today's light rain. Canon G11, 1/500 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400 in macro mode.

Corymb

From 2010 Blog

- This photo is from a few weeks back. These flowers of a red-tip photinia are produced in dense terminal corymbs - branched clusters of flowers. Each flower is about 5mm in diameter, with five rounded white petals; they have a mild scent. I used to have a long hedge of red-tips but they feel victim to the common fungal disease that has plagued this once popular shrub. One lone survivor across the yard still produces these flowers and the bright red new spring foliage that gives the plant its common name. It also hosts a pair of nesting cardinals; red birds in a red bush. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 50mm macro.