St Cecilia Catholic Church Gardens

I drove into the parking lot of St. Cecilia Catholic Church looking for a few trees with Autumn leaves still attached in late November.  I was surprised to find quite a few flowers blooming and a beautiful red maple.

Autumn Azalea

eriocapitella hupehensis, related to the buttercup

Azaleas Part 2

We dropped by Annmarie Garden again to photograph the azaleas.  This time I remembered to bring my flash.  I especially like the multicolored ones.  So pretty!

This one was made of 2 photos edited together to make it sharper.

Flower Visit to Annmarie Garden

We missed an earlier visit to Annmarie gardens to see the azaleas around the parking lot.  Here are what were on their way out last week.  I mostly had to zoom in close to crop out the dying ones.  We miss the large numbers of azaleas in Pennsylvania.  They won’t grow in my yard without a lot of work and special soil.  The National Arboretum is a good place to see them if you don’t mind the drive in late April or early May.  Does anyone know where azalea gardens can be found in St. Mary’s County?

                                                    So colorful

                                        Anyone know what this is?

Spring at National Arboretum Washington DC

Azaleas

 Lacebark Pine

 Pixel, the female dog

 Sadie, a female standard poodle

 Capitol Columns Panorama

Japanese Garden Vertical Panorama

Jenkins Arboretum Azaleas

We visited Jenkins Arboretum in Paoli, PA when the azaleas were in full bloom and the skies were drizzling and misty.  You might think that would be a terrible time to visit, but the opposite was true.  There was lots of rain on the flowers and the colors were lovely.

     Curving trail

     Pink on pink.  Never tried this before.  What do you think of the colors?

     White azalea

     Pink azalea

     Could this be an azalea?

     Pink and white azalea

     Magenta azalea

Spring Colors and Reflections

In May, we spent a weekend looking at spring flowers enjoying the beautiful weather.    These are some of my favorites.  I got the dark background on the pink columbine and bluebells by using the Nikon R1C1 Wireless Close-up Flash System.  I have 3 mini flashes that light the flower and I use a fairly small aperture f/22 – f/29.  It’s kind of complicated.  (It’s also fun to use, because most people haven’t seen one before and it creates a little attention at times.)

 

I saw the lovely reflection from nearby azaleas and had to act quickly when some geese swam by.  I couldn’t decide which photo I prefer.  In some ways the green reflection is better because it doesn’t distract from the goose.  The pink reflection on the other hand, is quite unique and vibrant.  Which picture do you like better?