While on photo adventure, we found ourselves on the leading edge of the first wave of spring ephemerals.  I worried, as the guide, walking into a rich cove of potential botanical treasures, that we might not see much of anything.  My timing was based on similar trips during the past several years.  Nature, however, was a bit sleepy this early spring and the typical bloom schedule was about a week behind.

I have a number of mantras that I repeat within my own head when I’m out shooting.  Little reminders that help me to focus.  Two of them go together:  first, there’s always a shot and second, the story is the story.  On this early morning wildflower hike, I kept saying those two things over and over in my head as I worried about the lack of growth I was seeing.  Not to worry though, we eventually found ourselves within some beautiful early signs of the season.  The story was new growth; the forest re-emerging from winter slumber.  The subjects were small:  spring ephemeral wildflowers, many barely showing.  We settled into the place.

I found this Bloodroot wildflower near the trail.  These spring ephemerals are probably most well known for their clutching leaf that wraps the bud and stalk and/or their bright, pure white coloring when blooming.  What caught my attention with this one, however, was the little yellow stamen that seemed impatient.  It looked ready to escape the bud!  Bloodroots usually wait for direct sunlight to open their flowers.  This one felt overly excited to greet the day.  I focused on that specific interaction, a story within the story sort of thing.

Camera:  Canon 5DSr
Lens:  Canon 65mm mpe
Tripod:  handheld w/ flash

Date taken:  March 14, 2025
Settings:  f14, 1/250 second, iso 100