Sunday was another of what the Irish would call a "soft day" - overcast, humid, mild, and occasional light showers. I went back down to Ballard Park to see if I could convince some songbirds to sit still and ended up on elbows, knees, and belly getting macro shots of the small flowers popping up all over the park.
Wood Anemone, a member of the Buttercup family, is an early bloomer on the forest floor. There are several areas in Ballard Park that are developing some impressive Anemone carpets.
Soon after the Wood Anemone shows up, Garlic Mustard also starts to show its face. This member of the Mustard/Cress family grows in shaded, wet areas, mostly beside streams and ponds or in low-lying, swampy areas. Unlike the Wood Anemone, which sticks close to the ground and spreads out, Garlic Mustard grows straight up, reaching heights of around a foot. But like most of the other plants in this photo essay, they grow in extensive carpets.
Another in the Buttercup family, Lesser Celandine also grows in extensive carpets. This plant is another that likes low, wet areas, and it's the first flower to bloom in Ballard Park. You know Spring is coming on when that huge yellow carpet appears beside the trail near the Hazard Rd. entrance.
Thyme-leafed Speedwell grows in matted clusters in the grass of the meadow on the quarry floor. This plant is small, and the blooms are only about 1/8 inch (4 mm). The macro lens is the only way to capture these, and at that I was right down on my belly to get this shot. But the effort is worth it; these tiny blooms are beautiful!
Back in town the usual flowering trees - Ornamental Cherries, Crab Apples, Magnolias, and Dogwoods - are starting to bloom, but here in Ballard Park the two or three Crab Apples trees still only have tight red buds, the Apple tree in the quarry has no blooms, and neither have the Black Cherries which are prolific in the park. But the Maples are blooming these odd green flowers which will eventually produce the characteristic "helicopter" seeds. That's right; Maple trees have flowers!
But the most widespread blooming tree in Ballard Park is the ubiquitous Downy Serviceberry, more commonly known as Shadbush or Shadblow. These small trees are everywhere in Ballard Park, and their prolific white flowers shout "Spring is here!" as loudly as the carpets of Lesser Celandine. So welcome to Spring in Ballard Park!
© 2009 by A. Roy Hilbinger
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Comments: 21
Thanks for the great photos and lessons. I love the wild flowers and natives. I think the Speedwell may be my favorite. Beautiful.
(It just struck me that the earliest spring flowers tend to be white or yellow. I wonder if there is a reason for this.)
Aniko, the earliest flowers, around here at least, are crocuses, and the earliest ones are purple. And our tulips were up before these wildflowers above bloomed, and they run the whole rainbow. I guess it just depends on what you notice!
The photographer is unusual sight
As he focuses his lens on a carpet
Of beautiful flowers yellow and white.
Though I wander woodlands and often see these little flowers....never really knew their names. You are a wealth of information, Roy. Great shots, I might add. Did you find any birds?
You photographers make me so JEALOUS!!
Thanks so much for doing it for free, meanwhile.
I didn't even know what Maple flowers looked like until I saw your picture above. That's what those "helicopter" seeds look like before they transform and descend all over my yard? What did you do... climb a maple tree to get a close-up, Roy? :-)
Bob - No birds. Once I started looking down for inspiration, I was too busy to look up for birds. Heard plenty, though. And it's not such an unusual sight, me crawling around chasing macro shots. As some of the dog walkers in Ballard Park! heh, heh!
Duckie (¡¡¡Duckie!!!) - That particular Maple was growing next to a hill on which the remains of a stone crusher (this was a rock quarrying area at one time) resides, and I just had to stand at the top and shoot straight in front of me. Egads! Can you imaginf me trying to climb a tree at my age?!
Ina - You won't need the magnifying glass for any of these blooms but the Thyme-Leafed Speedwell; they're the only really tiny blooms here. I just use the "Super Macro" setting because it lets me put the lens right up to the subject to get a crystal-clear shot with that gorgeous blurred backgound (we call that bokeh in photographerese).
Joy - We're even, then; I'm totally jealous of your comedy writing and the Ferryman!
Flit and Wil - Don't throw out the camera. You can take pictures like this. You just have to do it every day; practice really does make perfect!
Natalie - Thanks so much for the feature!
beautiful macros!
thanks for posting to Photos in Bloom