Beautiful Bluebells

 

You know that feeling when you look under a cushion and find a £20 note that must have fallen out of your pocket unnoticed? No nor do I, it is more likely to be a till receipt or a tissue in my house. But just imagine how good it would feel. Well that is sort of how I felt earlier today when I picked up my camera to get a couple of macro shots of a mysterious bug on our garden wall (more of that at a later date). After I had got a few decent shots I scrolled through to find a load of pictures from a recent day out that I had forgotten I had, then to make things even better I found a load of pictures from a day out before that too. I was so pleased I could hardly wait until I finished work to upload them.

So although the bluebell season has ended I still have a few pictures that I haven't processed yet, I don't want to overload this post with too many pictures so I will spread them over a day or two. Unlike my last post which was from a walk in Boilton Woods these were taken at Burton Mere, I think you will agree that these are quite special, such beautiful flowers and now they are gone for another year it is nice to still be able to enjoy their beauty.

I am so grateful for the beauty of nature and I am grateful that I found these almost forgotten images (I would have liked to find £20 too).

Native Blue

 There is something special about walking in the woods in spring when you are surrounded by beautiful flowers and the heady smell of the bluebells. I remember walking on Bluebell Hill near Maidstone with my parents and seeing masses of these flowers and then for years I don't recall seeing them in any numbers, perhaps I just wasn't looking. A few years ago I went to Skomer to photograph the Puffins and other seabirds and large parts of the island  were completely covered in Bluebells and that was the first time I really appreciated not just the flower itself but the wonderful smell, the air was filled with it. It was a perfect day and is a wonderful memory.

These two shots were taken at Boilton Woods near Preston. I have a few more images from a little closer to home at Burton Mere which no doubt I will share if I get round to uploading them.

The Dell

 I am sticking with a watery theme for today with this shot looking  upstream towards the waterfall at Bodnant  Gardens. I was stood on the bridge looking down at the falls for the abstract pictures I shared a few days ago. 

I knew as I walked along by the stream that I wanted to get this shot and I had to position my tripod on some stepping stones mid-stream to get it using another long exposure and my variable ND filter. I have also tweaked some of the colours in lightroom to add vibrancy to the overall image and I am very pleased with the results.

On An Island

 Looking across the pond to this small island I noticed a tumbledown shack which on its own, at first glance was not particularly interesting but taking a ,moment to really look I noticed the reflection in the calm water and the variety of colours illuminated by the sun.

These shots were taken from different vantage points and used 4 second exposures to enhance the reflections. 

A Carpet of Colour

 

I thought for today's post I would share a riot of spring colour with this carpet of beautiful Crocuses.

As I said the other day being so early in the season there was not a great deal of colour throughout the gardens at Bodnant as most flowers/plants are only just "waking up". However walking along one path towards the dell there was this vast array of crocuses, interspersed in a few places by daffodils creating the appearance of a wildflower meadow in summer.

Predominantly purple and white these flowers look stunning against the lush green of the grass. It was nice to see that despite recent storms and heavy rain the flowers themselves were not badly damaged and in the sunshine this was a wonderful sight. Some of the individual flowers look stunning set against the blooms around them as they catch the sunlight.

Magnolia

 This is a good time of year to see some wonderful magnolia specimens. I have always been fascinated by the way the flowers emerge from their furry cocoons  long before the leaves develop. I love the delicate colours and what I hadn't realised until last weekend was just how fleshy the petals are.

Azalea

 I am not really a fan of Azalea or Rhododendrons but they do bring colour to early spring gardens and I like this shot of a single flower.

The petals have a tissue like texture and the delicate tendrils that draw in the bees and other pollinators are really quite beautiful. 

Standing Tall

Canon 24 - 105mm 

ISO 100   85 mm   F/4.5   1/160 sec

ISO 100   96 mm   F/4.5    1/160 sec

I love the colours in these shots and the soft focused backgrounds with hints of colour that help to highlight the flowers that are the main subjects in each picture.

Buttercups are such simple flowers and this single specimen shot against a background of bluebells is really lovely.

I also love the contrast of pink and white in the second photo with the central flower in sharp focus but the others in the foreground and background providing a soft focused frame.

Californication

More of my favourite colour for today's selection but instead of Laburnum today's flowers are California Poppies.

The first picture isn't a crop it is the full image. I wanted to get right in to capture the detail of its fertile centre.

I like the meadow feeling from the second image with the trees, azaleas and ferns as a backdrop and then I love the strong yet delicate sentinel in the final image.

I know I can get a bit carried away when I am talking about flowers but they are so beautiful and they give me such a lift. I don't have the patience to do gardening but I have a lovely selection of photos that I have taken over the years that I can go to at any time.

I think some of you will be on the same page with me and I am sure that some of you will also share my love of the colour yellow.

Return of the Native

Native English Bluebells that is (in case you were thinking I was referring to Thomas Hardy's classic novel).

You may remember that I recently went to Boilton Woods in Lancashire to find some bluebells and I posted a few pictures here on my blog. Well last week at Bodnant Gardens I found a few more late blossoms hidden away among the shrubs. While there were lots of brightly coloured azaleas and other plants I was really pleased to find these gorgeous bluebells and knew that they would find their way into my blog. 

I hope you think they are worth sharing...

Cows and Skunks

So when you saw the title of today's post were you expecting mammals? 

Well the first shot is of some emerging Cowslips one of my favourite wildflowers. They used to be extremely rare and I remember the first time I saw them growing on the bank of a dyke in Lincolnshire back in 1979. It was lovely to see these growing in the meadow at Ness Gardens.

The next flower is a Marsh Marigold, so no animal reference there but what a lovely flower it is and a great close up of the centre. As the name suggests these flowers grow in wet boggy ground and I got wet feet in order to get this close.

The final shots are of North American Skunk Cabbage, these are really interesting looking plants which also prefer a wet and boggy setting on the fringes of ponds and streams. Apparently these plants were used extensively as a medicinal plant, seasoning or magical talisman by some tribes of Native Americans. It is not edible raw as the roots are toxic and the leaves can burn the mouth but the leaves can be dried and used in soups and stews. However the name Skunk Cabbage gives a strong clue to the fact that these plants smell absolutely disgusting so even if they add flavour to soups and stews you would need a strong stomach to get over the smell. Best just to admire them from a safe distance.

Medieval France

Today's pictures are of Carcassonne in the Aude region of France.  The first photo was taken in the heart of the old city and the second and third are of houses just on the outskirts.

I really like the warm colour of the stone and the arched windows.  I also really like the tiled roofs.  The buildings in the second picture are in a very old part of the town but the TV satelite dishes on several house tops put the picture right into the modern age.

I loved visiting Carcassonne and look forward to sharing more pictures in the future, but for today enjoy these, feel free to leave a comment below.  Tomorrow I will be sharing a few pictures from Barcelona so make sure to look out for those...

Crocus

So I have gone for a splash of colour today.  With temperatures getting into double figures it looks like spring is definitely on the way and these beautiful Crocus emphasise that fact. Just a thought, what is the plural of crocus, is it crocus or croci or crocuses?  I'm sure someone out there will know and leave a comment to help me out...

I drove past this little glade the other morning and knew I would have to stop by to get a few pictures before the flowers fade.  I love crocus (I'm sticking with that for now) and seeing these reminded me of a visit to Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, last spring.  Anyone who has been to Harrogate at this time of year will have seen extensive beds of these flowers all around the town.  Its a lovely place to visit anyway but in spring these flowers are an added bonus.  These pictures bring back some happy memories.