I like unruly gardens, although I appreciate that an untended appearance can be very deceiving. As we walked down our street we approached an old home with weathered brick walls and a small garden out front. I liked the contrast of the green against the red brick. I took the second photo further down the street. The sun illuminating the plant caught my eye and working with exposure compensation I took the result you see here.
A walk in my downtown neighbourhood is always interesting. It’s a mix of old and new homes and apartments many of which have tiny gardens. Although most of the peonies are beginning to fade, this particular bush has not yet come into flower and I focused on this ant as it ran in circles. I increased the shutter speed enough to get it in focus.
The orioles arrived right on schedule in mid-May. May is their peak nesting period and we saw more than we normally do this year. Haven’t seen them since though. They are such brilliant little birds and add welcome colour to the spring landscape. This oriole kept popping in and out of the flowering tree, I guess there were many insects about.
I liked the way the first dragonfly peered out between the leaves and stayed still as I set up my shot. In the photo below, the dragonfly had just recently emerged, one of the first of the season. Every few days it seems new varieties appear, particularly welcome this spring as birding subjects have proved less reliable.
Hairy woodpeckers are a little less common in our woods than the downy woodpeckers which they closely resemble, so it’s always a good day when I spot one. This female was intent on finding some insects and my presence didn’t deter her in the least.
One of the first spring migrants to our region, yellow-rumps are a sure sign of the change of seasons. Our local reserve had so many that when we asked a fellow photographer in passing what he had seen, he answered “nothing, just yellow-rumps”. As they remain for only 2-3 weeks I can’t imagine tiring of them that quickly.
A few weeks ago there were few insects around. In the last ten days or so with the return of damselflies and dragonflies, it feels like summer has arrived even though it’s still spring. I didn’t have my macro gear with me the day I took these photos, I used my 70-200mm and I had to crop quite a bit. I was pleased I could capture the detail.
