May can be just as colorful month as October when it comes to trees. They have a softer, more subtle palette than the more dramatic hues of autumn, but no less enjoyable. Like autumn, It is also short-lived, as the colors eventually transition to more homogeneous greens as the trees leaf out.
I like this time of year because you can also see further into the woods. In this aerial photograph, you can see the late afternoon shadows reaching along the forest floor. Small ponds, rivers, and streams are more noticeable. It’s easier to connect all the various habitats within a relatively small area of forest, to see the individual personalities of each tree as it blooms.
For me, this always seemed like a visual reward for enduring some of the trials of the winter months, and often bland “season of sticks” that follows an autumn leaf drop. Even at the ground level, where it may be harder to separate individual personalities, you still get a sense of this season of life starting to emerge. It is a time to savor and explore.
The top photo is very appealing to me, Mark. This is probably an April look around here, and only to be seen in May if you go up into the mountains or foothills. I love that earliest time when the leaves are just beginning to open – and even the time before that, when the outline of deciduous trees softens just a little as the buds enlarge. I always regret when the time you portrayed so well in that first photo passes. Not to say I don’t love May though! 🙂
Thanks Lynn, and yes, I should have mentioned “May in Michigan” 🙂 The scene has changed dramatically just over the past few days as leaf-out started, which is typically always around Mother’s Day.
I agree with you, “it is a time to savor and explore.” Something I’ve noticed this spring is how bluer (yes, it is a word) the blue sky is, which makes the subtle colors more vibrant. Place that against the new green leaves and my heart perks up a bit. Allergies have not been much of a problem for me, except for work, until I reach my sixties.
I had not noticed that about the sky – I will have to be more observant!
I’ve always thought that the pastel colors of spring are even more powerful than autumn. Maybe because it signals the coming of wonderful warm weather as opposed to the cold. At any rate, they are not often captured in as pleasing a color palette as you have managed here!
True, there is that psychological boost of warmer weather. I hadn’t thought of that.
Sadly, my view of spring is usually through the blurred vision of itchy eyes or over the edges of nose-blowing tissues with spring allergies. Or my eyes are half-closed when dosed up with anti-allergy medicine…even those non-sleepy ones often take me down. The rest of the year I’m good.
So, these beautiful photos are what spring looks like? Cool! ?
That, indeed, sucks Earl. I have seasonal allergies, but they are likely relatively mild to what you describe – and the allergy meds really suck. I find as soon as I get one that works for me, it fades in its effectiveness after a while and I start all over again. Or as you mention – they hit your mental clarity with a sledgehammer. I keep rotating between them for sinus headaches.
So yea, this is what spring looks like in some spots. 🙂 Viewing online is allergen-free.
I’m with you, Mark. I’ve been madly photographing wispy trees, knowing that full-on green isn’t going to be as interesting. These of yours are particularly nice.
I think the “wispiness” is also a bit difficult to portray just right. Light makes a bit difference – and I think diffusion from clouds helps a lot. I also polarized both of the photos here to remove any harsh reflective spots. Good luck in your mad rush against the green! 🙂