Sunday, April 14, 2024

Flowers and Sunshine!

Yesterday, I thought the forecast for sunshine called for a hike with views. I headed up to Washington Park in Anacortes, hoping that along with water views, I might catch a few early wildflowers. The flowers there have not reached their peak yet, but I was able to find a few nice patches. Washington Park doesn't offer a very long hike - you can loop through the whole park in less than three miles. The excursion still felt like a hike, though, with plenty of steep and rugged side trails to explore. And I had plenty of time for photography!

First, camas and other flowers and grasses, with Burrows Island in the distance. F/6.3.

Next up, a patch of sea blush (Plectritis congesta) beginning to bloom. Given that I took this picture close to midday in bright sunshine, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. F/5.6.

Below, a calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa) on the forest floor. I shot this one basically handheld; I used my mini-tripod with its legs together to brace the camera a bit, but it wasn't providing much stability. Because of that, the detail isn't quite as sharp as I'd like, although you'd have to enlarge this quite a bit to really notice. I think the ground-level perspective is interesting, which helps make up for the technical imperfections. F/5.

Lastly, a spotted coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata) just starting to bloom. I've typically seen coralroot and other myco-heterotrophic plants in darker, older forests than that of Washington Park's southern slopes, so seeing this was a fun surprise. Similarly to the calypso orchid picture above, I had trouble getting the detail perfectly sharp; my best result is below. F/5.

All for now. Stay safe and enjoy the sunshine!

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