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!

Fun with Pink Flowers

Yesterday, I visited the O'Grady unit of the Green River Natural Area, between Auburn and Enumclaw. In the off-season, at least, this park is one of my favorite spots to hike short of going to the mountains. The forest, even though it is second-growth, is very lush with lots of fun wildflowers, and there are a couple opportunities to get all the way down to the Green River. My main hope was to find some trillium to photograph. I did see some trillium blooming, but none were quite right for a picture. Happily, I found three other flowers - all pink - to photograph.

First, Scouler's coryalis (Corydalis scouleri) just beginning to bloom. I'm happy with how well I was able to blur the background, as well as the presence of some raindrops. F/5.

Next, Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa). I've taken pictures of these flowers before, but this image really highlights the intricacy of the leaves; I also like the mossy log in the background. F/5.

There were a lot of salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) flowers blooming as well. I was worried that this image would be too busy, but I think it works. The flower on the right really pops, and the mossy trunks in the background add to the scene. I enjoy how the bright green of the new leaves contrasts with the yellowish green of the moss in the background. F/5.

Finally, a non-floral image: some ferns opening up, with mossy trees beyond. The lens was angled downhill, which really helped; the background is all trees and grass, instead of splotches of overexposed white sky. At a small size, this image looks a bit busy; when I expanded it to take up the entire computer screen, the foreground ferns came through more distinctly and the depth-of-field effect was a bit more convincing. F/5.6.

Rain started to fall off and on after about 10am, and more consistently after noon, so I'm happy with what I was able to achieve before then. Until next time!

Two Recent Trips

It's time for another roundup of some recent photography excursions! First, a view from Pratt Balcony, looking over the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. I took some pictures from this viewpoint last December. This more recent image lacks the fun mist of the December trip, but has deeper colors and clearer visibility. F/14.

Next, a salmonberry flower in the woods along the trail to Pratt Balcony. I was concerned that the contrast would be too high and the highlights would overexpose, but the result isn't bad at all. I was even able to preserve some of the blue in the sky. This picture is special, because it's my first wildflower photograph of the year! F/9.

Prior to the Pratt Balcony trip, I walked the main trail in O. O. Denny Park in Kirkland, wanting to get at least a short trip in before a forecasted rain started to fall. The trail is short and mostly follows a small creek before a brief climb up a hillside to terminate unceremoniously at a road. For a city trail, it's pretty lush and remote-feeling; the ravine and dense woods screen out sight and sound of the surrounding neighborhoods. I didn't have much time for photography before it started raining, but I was able to get this nice image with new Indian plum leaves in the foreground, and the creek in the background. F/8.

Next, a wider view of the creek, with a cedar trunk in the foreground. F/18.

All for now. Hopefully some more wildflowers soon!