Spring Wildflowers!

My love for nature photography began with landscapes. That is never more apparent than when the emerging colors of spring destroy the muted winter colors. Recently I revisited Lick Brook for both waterfalls and spring wildflowers where I found this magical scene with the first bits of spring green in the trees.  (Yes, my feet got wet getting to this spot. It was worth it.)

At one time this spring,  I went looking for birds with a big telephoto lens and found something unexpected that needed a wider view. What to do?  Why, pull out my iPhone and take the photo.  So it was that this renegade bunch of daffodils appeared in a wooded area.

I transformed the image to match the impression it made on me using the Mobile Monet app.

Sometimes the wildflowers are just outside my door.  I have a 4-foot square garden in a sheltered corner by our sun room. The quiet corner seems to encourage early blooming like seen in this Purple Trillium.

So, I've become so intrigued with testing my ability to capture a workable image with the iPhone, that I am becoming too lazy to switch to a wide angle lens when I see an expansive image like these Virginia Bluebells. With the small size of the camera phone, I can set the camera right on the ground and see the world like a bug.  Edited again with Mobile Monet.

Virginia Bluebells seem to have a changeable personality depending on the type of light.  During the same shoot, I found this, again from a bug's perspective.

Spring also brings a rich yellow and green display to the marshy areas when the Celandine Poppy blooms. 

Saving my favorite image for last, I found this lush Trillium grandiflorum on a leafy hillside in the Mundy Wildflower Garden at Cornell Plantations on a beautiful spring morning.

Now, if I did not have a lawn to mow, I could be out there right now looking for more beautiful finds. Maybe you can take my place?

Paul Schmitt

Winter Aconite

One of the earliest blooms of the spring is the Winter Aconite.  Possibly the only earlier bloom is Skunk Cabbage which should be the subject of another post for its unique nature. Winter Aconite is one of those early bloomers that herald the coming spring.  As you can see, it is a favorite of bees on those wonderful sunny spring days.  The flowers do not last long.

Winter Aconite is a true ephemeral which bursts through the soil, profusely blooms and by late spring disappears to rest for the next spring.  While found widely in natural areas, it is not a native but rather a garden introduction that has spread widely to become naturalized.  The plant  is in the buttercup family (Ranunculacea), genus Eranthis.    There are around eight species, all in the Eranthis family, originally from a region stretching between southern Europe and western Asia plus Japan.

Paul Schmitt