Bursting Into Life

Canon 100mm 1:2.8   ISO 125    f/3.5   1/160 sec

Canon 100mm 1:2.8   ISO200   f/5.6   1/125 sec

Canon 100mm 1:2.8   ISO 200   f/5.6   1/80 sec

So these were taken a few weeks ago so by now these trees at Ness Gardens will be in full bloom but I think the buds are so beautiful they deserve a post of their own.

The first picture is a fluffy Magnolia bud, it is so soft and tactile and really beautiful and is a lovely prelude to the wonderfully lush blossoms that follow.

The second and third images show the buds of Hamamelis Intermedia "Jelena". They are fascinating flowers with yellow tendrils that look almost like strips of tissue paper but are really soft to the touch.

I don't really know much if anything about plants and gardening but I do know there is so much beauty to see throughout the year and as much as I long for the spring and summer months when we get so much variety and colour I also love to look for photo opportunities such as these all year round.

Ruffles and Curls

I have always been fascinated by the way ferns unravel and spring into life. I love the soft green and delicate curls and I think they make excellent photographic subjects.

While taking the pictures of the ferns above my attention was drawn to the other leaves in the third and fourth images. I do not know what plant it is I did look at the plant label but I've been asleep since then and I have forgotten what it is. However I really do like the way the leaves are ruffled and how they are slowly opening up. I also like the way the water droplet is held aloft by the layer of tiny hairs along the leave's edge.

There's Something About Spring

There really is something about spring and these pictures show it. I love the delicate buds and the way new life springs from once barren looking branches. I also like the way plants can resemble other things from nature.

I don't know what the first plant is but it is soft and fresh and I like the way the tips of the leaves come together in a way reminiscent of finger tips.

The next shot is of a hazel bud which was part of a living arch. The soft furry buds look more mammal than tree.

The final two pictures are of pussy willow and again there is a soft downy quality as well as a gentle spikiness to these buds a bit like a caterpillar

New Blooms

A few more blooms from Bodnant today, the first picture I love, showing the delicate new tendrils of Clematis with the fine downy fur covering the new shoots, giving the promise of fresh green leaves and abundant beautiful flowers.

The next two shots are of different varieties of Primula, both were growing in the shade of larger shrubs. I love the central yellow star at the centre of these lovely woodland flowers but I particularly love the delicate heart shaped petals.

For those who have seen my blog in the past the flower in the final image needs no introduction but for newcomers I can tell you it is Turkish Glory of the Snow, I first saw this in the gardens at Chirk Castle and I posted some pictures about three weeks ago, why not go back and have a look and compare them and see which you prefer.

Emerging Blossom

I had intended to follow on from yesterday's post with some shots from the dairy at Erddig but as you can see I have taken things in a different direction. The reason being that my recent post Spring is Springing has been so popular it has stormed into top ten most viewed posts (currently it is at number 8) and so it seems that in these cold and frosty winter days there is a real taste for these signs that better weather and a change in the seasons is coming.

Today I headed off to Chirk Castle in North Wales, where there is always a spectacular display of Snowdrops at this time of year.  I only took a couple of pictures of Snowdrops however as there was plenty of colour and new growth to catch the eye albeit much of it very small and only noticeable if you were looking for it (which of course I was).

Given how small everything was I relied on my 100mm Macro Lens today, it is a beautiful lens and has never let me down as I try to get great close up shots. I hope you will agree that today it has served me well.

The first two pictures are of apple blossom emerging, each little bud was no bigger than a small pea and I love the pattern of the veins in the new petals. I am reminded by the first picture a little of the plant "Audrey II" from Little Shop of Horrors.

The flowers in the third picture were so tiny and delicate, they were growing in the shelter of a wall in the castle's kitchen garden.



It has been pointed out to me that the budding leaves in the final picture look a little bit like a paintbrush, which I guess it does.

Frost Bitten

Over night much of the country had a decent fall of snow but yesterday, before the snow, everywhere was covered in a heavy frost.  I had an interesting couple of hours taking pictures in and around Preston's Miller Park and Avenham Park.  It was really cold but the frost disappeared very quickly even in the weak winter sun so I was lucky to get these shots.

Barbed wire might seem an odd subject for a picture but with the frost it becomes a really interesting image, at least I think so.

The second image of the new bud caught my eye with its dusting frost which close up looks almost like salt or sugar.

I have more frosty pictures to share but will save them for later in the week.

Fresh Growth

When I selected these pictures for today the connection was supposed to be "green" and the original title was going to be "Fresh Greens" because when I look at all of these pictures that is what I can see. I was absolutely certain about the last three pictures but had a nagging doubt about the first and so asked before posting just to be on the safe side. DOH! 

Even though I now know that the fungi in pictures one and two are not green that is still what I see but knowing they're not green just confuses me and frustrates me. It doesn't spoil the images for me, I still find them beautiful and interesting but it makes me question what I see and how these things will appear to other people.

I didn't intend to speak about colour blindness I wanted to speak about the fresh colours, the new growth and the hope that comes in winter when plants like these come to life and bring the promise of spring and when you look at the images that is what I really hope you will see, and however differently we might see these pictures I can say that I like them a lot, I am pleased with how they look and I am pleased to share them with you... enjoy! 

Just a Wee Drop

A woodland walk on a wet Saturday (or any other day of the week for that matter) will provide lots of great photo opportunities you just have to keep your eyes open and have an eye for what makes an interesting shot. 

If you have seen my blog before you will know that I love the small things that would easily be missed and I find things like the droplets of water in the pictures above to be really beautiful.  I love the way they hold their form and the way they cling to the minute hairs on the surface of the leaf.  I love the reflections they capture and the way they magnify and expose the patterns within the leaf. There really is so much beauty here.

What surprised me too about these images was that these droplets are on new growth on Honeysuckle, which while perfectly at home in the woodland it seemed very early in the season to find such  growth and I hope that as the weather turns to what would normally be expected from this time of the year these tender new shoots are not damaged.

Emerging Blooms

The  title of the post today is "emerging blooms" and follows the theme signs of spring started yesterday.

The first picture is of what I think is a Primula and I like the dark blue and bright yellow centre and the way the petals are unfurling.

The following three pictures are of daffodils at different stages of development, I like the bright colour and I like the fleshy texture of the new tips.  I also like the way the light shines through the fully extended petals.  Another glorious reminder of the coming spring.

Tomorrow I will be posting a few pictures of the birds visiting the walled garden, I hope you come back to have a look...