poppy

poppy, originally uploaded by johnbasus.

I'm not usually one for pretty flower pictures -- but wow, I love the color and texture in this poppy

(Poppy by johnbasus)

daffs

daffs, originally uploaded by PaulGreen.

(daffs by Paul Green)

Tulip Curves

More great, hot colors


Tulip Curves, originally uploaded by joc.890.

(Tulip Curves - by joc890)

Crocus

, originally uploaded by Peertje..

(Untitled by peertje)

Etsy Buy Handmade ParallaxPhoto

Fairy Flower

Fairy Flower, originally uploaded by parallax_photo.

Actually, this flower is a Columbine, but when I was little, I called them 'Fairy Flowers'. I still think it's appropriate for this whimsical blossom, which is one of my favorite flowers.

Sizes

8x10 $14.00 5x7 $8.00 ACEO $4.00 Greeting Card $3.00

Ok, so now the red

I found some red I love, it's just after the orange...

Who cares about rainbow order


(Well, me, but for now I'll deal)

First, another close up of a tulip petal...

Red by Linda Scannell

And then I flipped through lots of red berries, red brick, red lava lamps, red cars to bring you ... (drumroll please)

... another red flower macro.

This one from ISPhoto

So, todays' post, not exactly diverse, but they are beautiful. I love the bold, glowing red -- with a very simple, minimal composition.

Vibrant

I'm tired of winter grays this week, so I went looking for some color and found myself drawn to bright, vibrant oranges.


(I thought I'd do red and maybe work my way through in rainbow order, but I just wasn't feeling red, a fact I'm blaming on a red and white sewing project I'm ready to be done with)


So, orange...

Raing OH by Tasawa69

One of my favorite things about this one is that it's such a warm, lively color -- and it's titled "Rainy OH". There's something about the unexpected contrast that just appeals to my sense of whimsy.

and some tulips of my own

Purchase "Tulip" from Parallax

Sizes

5x7 $8.00 ACEO $4.00 Greeting Card $3.00

A bit of color for today...

After last week's winter-y posts, I could use a change of pace. So I went hunting for green and yellow -- bright, fresh and cheerful.




Here's a macro (love the lines)


Hawaiian leaf, originally uploaded by photomandala.

A landscape..

5/365- Tractor tracks.-, originally uploaded by blagayfer

And a sunny little flower hiding in the shadows


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Today, a rainy Sunday full of thunderstorms, I'm drawn to this picture of elegant white roses.

Roses

The roses were a gift to myself; pretty casual, old-fashioned miniature roses from the floral section of the grocery store. The ivory you see here were all mixed up with peach and pale pink and shiny green leaves -- completely charming.

Spring has finally, emphatically come to Massachusetts, and I have a three day weekend (Monday is Patriot's Day here. In theory a commemoration of the battles of Lexington and Concord which marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. In reality, I had to look that up on wikipedia. But everyone in the Boston area knows it's Marathon Monday. )

So, I spent a sunny afternoon hiking in the woods and hills with my camera: my first hike of the season. At first the woods seemed discordant: the oaks still winter-bare, hardly in bud, and the usually cool, shady forest was hot and sunny. I usually find the forest at once soothing and inspiring -- but I just wasn't feeling it.

But, tucked under the edge of a fallen tree, right at my feet were tiny little flowers. Mayflowers, delicate little stars, white with the tiniest hint of pink., set off against generic little apple-green leaves. Soothing and inspiring, my hike redeemed.

(Too bad the pictures just didn't come out)

Further down the path, a little stream. We're not far from the Connecticut River, which is at spring flood right now. But this stream was full, but cheerful not rushing. There are smooth pools behind fallen trees, and gurgling ruffles over stones. The edges were lined with brilliant green plants, surprisingly lush. The leaves brilliant green and folded slightly, adding lines of sun and shadow.




Someone had built a sturdy, simple bridge with concrete pilings over the stream: but what's the fun in that? Its predecessor, a pair of wobbly, warped pressure-treated boards placed directly on the muddy banks, was just a few feet further down. Much more picturesque. I wobbled myself, crouching down, to dip my hands in the cool water, sun touched where it ruffled over the rocky bed.

If you've looked through my photography, you might have guessed: I'm fascinated by the reflections and patterns in water. There were no other hikers around, so I could sit to my hearts content, watching the stream ripple and reflect, trying to get in 'on film'. (Note to self: find a technologically appropriate phrase, 'on memory card' just doesn't work)




I ended up hiking for hours (my muscles remind me now) up the rocky hills and along the stream bank. The trails are not terribly well maintained, and on my way back, I found I'd meandered off my path. I've got a GPS unit in my backpack, a cell phone, it's daylight, I'm standing right next to a river I can follow if I really needed too, in a pretty tame patch of woods, with major roads on all the borders and I'm perhaps 50 feet from the path. No reason to be worried, unless you're the sinking feeling in my gut.


I got back to path no problem, and on my way, almost as compensation, found a beautiful patch of flowers I've never seen before. (If you can identify them, I'd love to know). Almost like compensation for that bit of worry ... or a lesson in getting off the beaten path. In any case, I'm grateful for one last, wonderful surprise.

And a surprisingly wonderful shot.

This is one of those gifts from the photography gods when holding the camera out, blind, underneath a flower and madly pushing the shutter actually works. The only retouching: boosting the contrast back to something like the flowers' natural tone. (I didn't even crop, and I crop everything!)






And with that, Happy Patriots' Day everyone!