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

Rose Garden

The Rose Garden at Central Park still has many gorgeous flowers.  It always amazes me that the volunteers manage to keep this beautiful place going for so many months of the year.

F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/100
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	160
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Red trillium

It's early spring, and that means these are out.  I don't know why, but the red trillium always make me happy.  They don't flower very long and they don't smell very good, but still, they sure are beautiful.  Three leaves, three petals, one flower.

Lens	Minolta MD 50mm f/1.4
F Number	f/2.8
Focal Length	50.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/250
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

The seasons change once again.  The first snowdrop has appeared in my front yard.  They are tiny, and seem fragile, yet they withstand freezing temperatures and are always the first flower in the spring.

Lens	Minolta MD 50 f/1.4
F Number	1.4
Focal Length	50.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/4000
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Amaryllis

I almost never give up on a house plant.  I have gangly poinsettias that were left at the office three and four years ago.  I bring them home, move them outside in the summer and bring them back in for the winter.  Somewhere along the line, I picked up an amaryllis.  (The only reason I know this is that there's one of those plastic identification tabs stuffed in the pot.)  This amaryllis went followed the same path as the rest of the oddball plants.  Outside for the summer and back in before the frost.  It lost all of its leaves before I brought it in, but that didn't stop me - I could plainly see the bulb, and figured that I'd save it from the frost.  I sort of lost track of it after that.  It's pot sits inside one of the pots containing a spider plant and what looks like a begonia.  It got watered somewhat infrequently, and it's very hard to find any sun inside, but I move them around when the opportunity presents itself.  Despite my abject neglect and even forgetfulness, this amazing flower has decided to bloom.  I'm (almost) speechless. 

Lens	Minolta MD 50mm f 1.4
F Number	2.4
Focal Length	50.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/40
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Vinca vine

Several years ago, we bought some of this vine (Vinca major) as a decorative touch for the flower boxes at the front steps.  Being a vine, it climbed down the side of the steps and rooted itself into the dirt next to them.  I thought for sure the winter would kill it; snow and ice accumulate exactly in that spot.  Well, the next spring, the vine came back: not in the flower pot, but down below!  This winter we had very little snow, and thus very little insulation on the ground.  I feared the worst for this vine, but to my happy surprise, it not only survived: it flowered!  I had no idea this thing could flower, and here it is, a beautiful purple.

As usual, kudos to my better half who identified it straight away.  I, as usual, hadn't a clue what it's called.

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/320
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	160
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

Last rose?

I didn't take good care of the roses this year.  I started out with the best of intentions but somehow the season ran away from me and I didn't do a good job.  Bugs ate so many rose leaves... I can't believe there is something that likes them!  But the plants somehow thrive despite my abuse.  Here we are, in the middle of October and she has bloomed again - with more buds in the wings!  Nature is amazing.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/60
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

October geranium

This old friend kept me company me through the summer of 2010, hung with me through the winter of 2010 and bloomed once more in the spring and summer of 2011.  I thought all her blooms were past her, but here she is with another round!  Almost time to bring her in for another winter, but for now, she's still enjoying the sunshine and outdoor breezes.

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	40.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 80.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/1000
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Sunflower

This beauty is at our community garden plot.  It's not ours, but it's beautiful, isn't it?  The bees think so too.

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	1/30
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Peony

The peonies have popped open!  I didn't see many ants tending to them this year but they opened just the same.

F Number	8.0
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	200
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Apple blossom

When we visited the greenhouse last week, their apple tree was just beginning to blossom.  They smell so sweet!

F Number	6.3
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	34.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 68.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/200
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Red Trillium

This is a native wildflower which blooms in the spring.  It's hard to see the flower because it 'nods' or faces down, which is why this is photographed from underneath.

It's a trillium because there are three of everything; leaves, petals, sepals and who knows what else.  Once you know what you're looking for, it's not hard to spot them in the woods from those three leaves.

It has another name, which describes how it smells: Stinking Benjamin.  I don't know who Benjamin was though!

F Number	8.0
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/125
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Rainy flower

Having a bit of rain today but this flower doesn't seem to mind one bit.

Rose

Central Park has a beautiful rose garden, and I visit as often as I can. The heat has been hard on them, but the roses are still gorgeous.

Day lily

It's been hot and dry for a few weeks now and the flowers are stressed. The day lilies still open each morning but they don't last until evening, so the only way to take their photo is in the early morning.

Blue bells?

I don't know the name of this flower; maybe blue bells? These flowers grow in nooks and crannies in the sidewalk and in other waste places. That probably means they're native to the area. Another hint is that I've never seen them deliberately grouped in a flower bed. Why is it that native plants are second-class citizens?

I think they're quite nice. About the only other blue flower (OK, this is more violet than blue) I see a lot of is chicory and that too is considered a weed, only growing freely in places that people don't care enough to mow them down.

Watering the flowers

I was watering the flowers and the low sun looked very interesting so I snapped a few photos. Even though I haven't used film in a couple of years now, there is still that mentality to carefully frame and shoot every image. I should probably get over that - some photo bloggers are doing magical work with image manipulation programs.

Anyway, I just liked the way this came out.

Coreopsis

When the strawberries are ready, the coreopsis are in bloom, and following Mother Nature's timetable, here they are!

Hopefully, I'll be back from the radio contest by now and will be able to reply again!