Zooming - May 2014

Spring is full of blooms.  The zoomed images from the past month include plum blossoms, dandelion flowers, a very wet tulip, and some hydrangea to add some blue…..

Maple samaras in the grass (detached before their time by browsing deer), cowslips, and jagged edge tulip….

A mushroom, a jack-in-the-pulpit, and a foraging chipmunk….

A foraging bumble bee, spores on the back of a fern frond, and the cone of a cycad….

Fiddleheads and a Venus fly trap….

The center of a dogwood flower, a peppermint color azalea, and new growth of pines.

I find that photographing makes me more observant while I am out and about….and then again when I am looking at the pictures on a larger screen once I get home. I often don’t realize the whole of what I am capturing in the field. Every zooming blog post I compile is a celebration of the technology available in modern cameras!

Tulips at Longwood Gardens - May 2014

The timing of our visit to Longwood Gardens on May 2 was near perfect for the tulips just as it had been for the cherry blossoms in Washington DC back in April.  The day was near perfect for enjoying the gardens too: mostly sunny and near perfect temperature. 

We arrive about 10 minutes before the gardens opened. The beds of tulips in front of the entrance building gave us a hint of the colors that were to come.

It was quite a challenge to pick the images to include in the slide show below. Tulips come in so many colors…and there is a surprising variety in the shapes as well. Hopefully you enjoyed tulips growing in your area too!  They are a sure sign of spring.