Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Green

The landscape at Roundtop is as green as the brightest emerald right now. Add a little sunshine and it almost hurts my eyes. So last evening I’m trying to decide if the green really is more intense this spring or if I simply have “forgotten” just how bright springs routinely are.

So I gathered up my May photos from 2007-2009 to compare them with 2010. The last two years I’ve been using the exact same camera and the two years before that I was using the same brand of camera I am now. And you know what? This year is greener.

For the record (and to be fair), 2009 was pretty green but suffered from many days of rain and overcast skies to handicap those results somewhat. May 2008 had some overcast weather and then went directly to hazy, summer-ish skies, so the quality of light wasn’t the best then. May 2007 seemed to have a lot of foggy days and the greens in those photos were already taking on the deeper green of early summer.

So my conclusion is that yes, May 2010 is both greener and brighter than Mays around Roundtop have been for at least the past several years. And by extension, that means my memory for such things isn’t totally off-base.

I suspect the heavy snows this past winter contributed nicely to the lush greens I am seeing right now. The bright skies this year are simply the luck of the draw. In any event, I will enjoy it all while it lasts, because if the past three years are any guide, May might not look quite this good for at least another few years.

5 comments:

Elora said...

Carolyn,

I'd wondered, too, about the "green-ness" this year. I've felt like a dog in a butcher shop with my camera though! Unlike you, I have nothing with which to compare since I began my blog in January and bought my camera last August. OTOH, I'll have lots to compare with next year! I know another thing, too: I simply cannot take all the photos I see! They are practically irresistible but there's not point. I've reached a platform of ultimate satiation! (Almost.....:-))

Beautiful shot!
Elora

Carolyn H said...

Elora: I am lucky in that my previous year's photos for Roundtop Ruminations are all on my computer with a new folder for each month. So I can quickly peruse glance through them.

The change in light from one part of the year to another is also quite apparent. I always knew the light was different from summer to winter but I never realized just how much until I started organizing my photos by month.

Thanks!

Cathy said...

Lol it does seem a littler greener this year. But I agree, I think the weather is effecting it too.

Jeannette StG said...

Wow, this could be a scene from Holland (where I'm from) - I sometimes miss the lush greens of this landscape pic -In California we see a "young green" for a short time, before it turns brown for the rest of the year!

Carolyn H said...

Jeanette, The landscape here will turn brown-ish around August in a normal year. It's usually pretty green into July, unless we have a drought. But by July, it's more of a deep green than a bright green, so I will enjoy this while it lasts!

Carolyn H