Friday, June 7, 2013

Colours of the Wind

You can own the earth and still, all you'll own is earth until you can paint with all the colours of the wind. ~ Stephen Schwartz

Spring seriously has to be the prettiest time of year - even though I probably say that about summer and autumn, and maybe even about the odd winter day. Nah!

There are so many colours coming into their own at this time of the year. Below are a few photos which demonstrate that.

in the pink3
These deeply tinted pink blossoms can be found suspended over a park bench overlooking the pond. For the brief time that they're in bloom, it makes sitting there a favourite place to relax.




unfurling leaves
Leaves on an unknown (forgotten, really) tree begin to unfurl.




new growth2
Flowers and leaves emerge together making for a colourful, textured growth.




blossom close up
A tiny crab apple blossom in its early days.




exfish
Colour sometimes comes from unusual places. Sadly, this fish has died at the bottom of the dam. I suspect it was already dead or dying by the time it got there. Someone in the community has repeated the vile oil spill that this pond has endured before. In fact - twice in recent weeks. It's taking its toll on the many dead fish we've seen lately and the obvious absence of the great blue heron.




oranges petals ant
Beneath the tree from the first picture, I happened to see a couple of discarded orange wedges which were sprinkled with the fallen petals. My friend, Caroline thought it was a little strange for me to take this photo. I'll bet she's rolling her eyes right now. (Hi Caroline!) Quit rolling your eyes and have a close look at the little ant on the upper orange piece. That makes this another wildlife photo after all. ;)

Thanks for joining me on this look at spring colours. I'll have more photos coming up soon.

47 comments:

Jackie said...

The spring colors that you captured remind me again and again why I love this time of the year.
Beautiful, Hilary....simply beautiful.

ADRIAN said...

Another good wander. You do better than me at identifying flora.

Sueann said...

Gorgeous photos!!! They are all amazing!
Well done
Hugs
SueAnn

Andy said...

Hilary, from life to death and pollution, you have captured it all in theses photos.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Nice spring shots, but don't like the dead fish...what kind of oil spill, I wonder? That first shot of the rose bush is awesome!

Brian Miller said...

oh, i feel a bit sad for the fish...so vibrant in color...ugh on the pollution...will we ever learn?

DJan said...

I love all of your pictures, as usual, but the oil spill one is so very sad. Orange peels? An easy thing to carry out, but some people seem to think the world away from them is their garbage disposal.

Anvilcloud said...

Some gorgeous work as usual, but it's sure not very springy here these days. It's crazy cold and rainy.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Another fine series from your macro lens. The crab apple blossom is a definite favorite.

Daryl said...

its too long between posts .. and if your friend wondered about you taking that photo she'd be calling for someone to come take me away if she saw what i take pix of

Gail Dixon said...

The detail on the unfurling leaves is awesome and the pink hues of the first blossoms pretty as can be. So sad about the demise of the fish. You once again have a lovely collection that tells a story.

TexWisGirl said...

very sad about the cooking oil dump! terrible sh*tty people!

i loved your photos, though. my favorite was the crab apple blossom!

Red said...

Great colors. Yes, spring is full of colors. so is fall. I think you've given yourself a challenge to come up with colors for each season.

ellen abbott said...

oh Hilary. There are all just exquisite. Poor fishie.

Anita said...

I wish the oil spills were not happening. The photo is sad, however, a great shot. The texture of the slushy, swirly mud is quite a contrast with the orange fish.

Lynne with an e said...

Beautifully glowing warm tones that embody the essence of spring. When spring finally blossoms it's like looking at the world through fresh eyes, much like visiting The Smitten Image.

larkswing said...

The colors make me go ahhhhhhh!

Have a wonderful day Hilary!

Shammickite said...

You are right Hilary, the spring colours are the best! The pic of the dead fish makes me sad, people just don't care what damage they do when they allow foreign substances to enter our waterways. I haven't commented much lately as if I open your blog on my PC it always seems to freeze, so today I have the laptop..... much better!

Rosaria Williams said...

I'm always surprised when I see life and death juxtaposed. Yet, without one, the other doesn't exist.

photowannabe said...

Well I think there is art even in the castoff orange slices. Good catch on the ant.
How sad that the beautiful waters are corrupted by an oil spill.
Hope your weekend is wonderful and happy "snapping".

stephen Hayes said...

Beautiful pictures capturing such splendid color. Is that a common goldfish someone tossed in the pond? It looks like a domestic fish.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Hey,just give your friend Caroline a camera and soon she will be right there beside you capturing those beautiful images. I too love the new growth and colour of spring.

Rita said...

Even the dead fish has brilliant color, but I really liked the apple blossoms! :) Shame about the oil in the water!

Tabor said...

We are so well into summer with the rains from the tropical storm in Florida coming up today that your spring seems like a distant memory.

yaya said...

We had a beautiful Spring this year..even though it was a bit late and more chilly than last year. I think you've captured it perfectly. I'm so sad you have the oil problem and it's killing the wildlife..so careless. I love the last pic because it shows how much life goes on all around us that we just don't even know about...the ant doing it's job to survive..and the colors are amazing!

sage said...

This has been a beautiful spring!

Anonymous said...

I would love to sit on that bench under those gorgeous blossoms, and I wouldn't roll my eyes when you took a photo of the discarded orange slices. I get those eye-rolls all the time, too. Sigh. Hope you have a great weekend, Hilary!

Kat said...

I LOVE that pic of the orange in the grass. The colors are amazing!
The fish picture makes me sad. :(

ds said...

Love these. The fish photo is so powerful, you should send it to your local officials to get them to stop the oil dumping.

Pauline said...

Playing catch-up. This post and the one before it contain gorgeous images. I always feel I've actually been there - your images are walk-into-able. I hope the coyote wasn't killed - often we're so careless of other animals' rights.

SandyCarlson said...

Your photos capture the lyrical beauty of spring. I am sorry about the oil spill. How horrible.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous colours that pop and lift up the spirits! Wonderful shots.

Indrani said...

Whoa! The sights you capture!
Thanks for the virtual treat!

June said...

Spring colors=Happiness

No matter if it's a popping bud or an ant feasting on a Nirvana of orange section embellished with crabapple petals...

Gary said...

I was slowly scrolling through the pictures relishing all the color and beauty when I saw the fish. I went from "ah" to "oh". How sad is that story? Poor thing. Such beauty mixed with such sadness. Life, no?

Betty Manousos said...

always a delight to pop by your lovely spot for a visit.

love, love, love your photos, especially that "unknown" tree. great macro!
your post totally uplifted my morning.

thank you!

have a great week ahead~

big hugs!

Mage said...

I especially like that orange photo with it's little ant. Even the dead fish picture is a splendid one because of the colors and textures.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

Those first pink blossoms almost look like candy! Sorry to hear about your oil spills! That's awful. I hope the damage was dealt with quickly and all can recover with minimal loss.

Sharon Wagner said...

The fish photo is sad but undeniably beautiful.

Linda said...

That was a colorful journey - thanks for inviting us along.

Lisa Gordon said...

These are wonderful, Hilary, and it looks like you are having a beautiful spring!

Tammie Lee said...

so many beautiful facets of spring. i loved seeing each photo, except it is very sad about the fish and the oil spill. i hope someone figures out who is spilling the oil in the wrong place and a stop comes to it! so sad!

holdingmoments said...

A great time of the year Hilary.
That first picture is a stunner.

Heartbreaking to read about the oil poured into your local lake, and the devastation it's causing. I hope the people are caught and dealt with severely.

Crabby McSlacker said...

Breathtaking colors!! Makes me want to pay more attention on my next ramble, I suspect I'd walk right by without noticing. Takes a photographer's eye and so glad you have such an excellent one.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

I wouldn't roll my eyes at all, but then my family thinks I take photos of strange things. ;)
To paraphrase a Psalm (or is it Proverbs?), it rains on the just and the unjust... and flower petals drop where they will! Even without the ant, this makes an interesting and colorful photograph; the ant makes it a wildlife photo. :)

Such brilliant pinks you have captured!

lime said...

such wonderful macro shots. what a shame about the oil spill though.

Unknown said...

Sad to see the fish--still, a reminder of the changing seasons too.