Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Morning dogwood

The redbud is beginning to fade, to settle down into green leaves instead of vibrant pink buds.  The dogwood bloom is improving today. Yesterday I thought it nothing special, but today the blooms are more and further out.  At this point, I will pronounce them no worse than average.  A spectacular year in my opinion is one where the redbud and the dogwood peak at the exact same time. This year that won't happen.

One problem around my mountain in trying to photograph redbud and/or dogwood is that both tend to be "edge" trees, and where there are forest edges there are also Other Things that I don't want in the photo that are unavoidable.  Things like power lines, most often, but also a parking lot or an above ground water pipe or paintball netting or the like. Redbud also likes to hide in dense, scrubby areas, where getting a clear shot that doesn't include lots of other, less attractive greenery is a bit problematic.

I should not complain at all, however. Even if I can't always get the photo I want, I am lucky enough to live among them both, where I can see and enjoy these beauties every day during their short span of annual glory. That's hard to beat.  

2 comments:

Grizz………… said...

Funny you should mention something about redbud and dogwood blooming together. I made a photo of just that—in fact a shot with the two of 'em almost intertwined—and will likely run it in a day or two. But the truth is, the redbud is fading, the trees were in the shade, and even my best image, with blooms and clusters of each, isn't very colorful; the dogwood outshines the redbud.

You know, getting a good shot of the most common plants or trees (or birds) often given me the most trouble, just because of the location's background. I think it is a plot!

Carolyn H said...

Grizz: some yesrs I've gotten photos of redbud and dogwood together. This won't be one of them for me. These trees are weak and never get very large, and two of the better ones along my lane have succumbed to falling over. Maybe next year! I'll look forward to seeing your photos when you post them.