Snow drops

No matter what the calendar says, when the snow drops arrive, it's spring to me.

Trillium

The red trillium is native here, and only blooms in the early spring.  I was fortunate enough to catch this one back lit by the sun while walking in Vale Cemetery.

Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/160
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	160
Advanced Scene Mode	Off
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Skunk cabbage - the other early spring flower

These are some of the most unusual plants that live in this area.  They start out as... well, they look like pods from a science fiction movie, and then they get large, luxurious leaves which... dissolve away as the season progresses.  Very hardy, always near surface water and almost always the first green plant to burst above last year's leaves.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/200
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Crocus

A sudden burst of colour, and they're here!  Crocus are amazing little flowers, and they cheer me up every time I see them, because I only see them after the winter is over.  Almost everything on the ground is brown and faded after being under the winter snow.  But these little guys just push through all that into the sunlight.  Bravo!

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/640
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Skywatch Friday

A couple of rainy days and then... this! 

A group of photobloggers post a photo of their skies each Friday - it's called Skywatch Friday. Click the link to see photos from round the world.

 

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/1600
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Impossible!

It's almost impossible to convey my feelings on this.  I took this photo this morning, 19 Feb.  There is no snow on the ground.  That's amazing.  There hasn't been any snow on the ground.  That's unbelievable.  The snow drops are blooming.  That's impossible! 

Just to check my memory, I went back in time to look at photos I'd taken about this time in years past.

25 Feb 2011

 The first snow drop photo was taken March 18th - a full month from now, and there was snow on the ground.

17 Feb 2010

The first snow drop photo was taken March 18th.  The snow was thin, but it covered the ground.

19 Feb 2009

The first snow drop photo was taken on March 12th, through the snow.  It was an early Spring that year.

27 Feb 2009

The first snow drop: April 5th.

I'm not imagining things; for a snow drop to be blooming on Feb 19th is impossible!


EXIF information for the snow drop:

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/320
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Spring snow

It actually is snowing in the hills around us. Here in the valley, we got rain and cold - the current temperature is a little above freezing.

The photo is one of many ornamental flowering trees at the end of the blossoming - they shed all those beautiful flower petals and move on to the important work of making ornamental fruit.

It sure looks like snow though!

First day of spring

More even than the beautiful flowers that bloom, these remind me of the cycles of the seasons. These are humble chives, reaching through last year's exhausted growth into the chilly spring air, renewing themselves for another season.

The rest of the garden is covered in last autumn's leaves, dry and mouldy, but chives view that seemingly ugly cover as a blanket to keep them warm at night.