The magnolia tree in our back garden began to bloom yesterday. I always find it magical that the fuzzy buds I’ve kept my eyes on all winter long can open up to such a profusion of petals.
Sony A7II, Sigma 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 800, f/8, 1/500″ exposure.
The willows along the fence line bordering our neighbor’s field are bustin’ out! A close-up view of the buds reveals their intricate flowering structure.
Sony A7II, Sony 90mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/8, 1/200″ exposure.
The two tamarack trees we have in our front field are budding profusely right now. As the only deciduous conifer native to Vermont, tamaracks lose their needles every fall and regrow them each spring. You can also see new cones emerging. These will take a season to mature. This particular tree also has quite a few mature cones from last season.
Sony A7II, Sony 90mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/13, 1/125″ exposure.
Yesterday’s sunshine and warm temperatures got the blood root down along Fargo Brook to finally open up!
Sony A7II, Sony 90mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/13, 1/160″ exposure.
Last week I posted a shot of a mourning dove sitting on the nest built on the windowsill of our barn attic. I checked back in yesterday, and those eggs I’m assuming the dove was sitting on are now a pair a pretty big chicks! According to my “Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior”, mourning doves will have multiple broods of chicks in a season—as many as 4 or 5—laying 2-4 eggs per brood. Incubation lasts 12-14 days, and chicks fledge 11—16 days after hatching. By the looks of them, these two aren’t that far away from leaving the nest!
Sony A7II, Sigma 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 800, f/8, 1/160″ exposure.
I’ve been keeping my eye on our patch of blood root down along Fargo Brook as the spring progresses (in fits and starts as the case may be…) The snow and cold hasn’t been much help. The blossoms are up but are very reluctant to open even when the temperature approached 50f yesterday afternoon.
Sony A7II, Sony 90mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/13, 1/800″ exposure.
Spring ephemerals continue to blossom up here in north-central Vermont despite yesterday’s snowfall! This yellow violet blossom was blooming in the rich woodland soils up along one of Camel’s Hump Nordic Ski Center trails.
Sony A7II, Sony 90mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/13, 1/125″ exposure.
Here’s a close-up view of a round-lobed hepatica blossom found up on the Camel’s Hump Nordic trails. I was finding that the younger blossoms—the ones just opening up—tended to have this lovely purple-pink blush to them, while the older blossoms were mostly a pure white (like the one I posted a couple of days ago).
Sony A7II, Sony 90mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/13, 1/400″ exposure.
John Hadden Photography 