There’s a wave of energy that passes through the forest in early spring.  It awakens a class of wildflowers known as spring ephemerals.  These wildflowers employ a unique strategy of early, small and quick.  They are the first adopters of sunlight energy; the fast movers of the forest world.  Before a leaf unfurls on the mature trees that comprise the forest canopy, these tiny wildflowers emerge, bloom and set seed.  They’ve been described as bold for emerging at a time when the spring weather is still volatile, yet also delicate and beautiful in their small size and great variety of colors.  It has been said that spring ephemeral wildflowers are the birdsong of the botany world.

Photographing these tiny beauties requires a similar strategy as a photographer.  The forest will not tip it’s hat.  To the distant eye, the woods will still be deep within winter slumber.  It’s those who take the walk, who pay attention to the small things, who set out early that will find these pleasant surprises.

Every year, I re-introduce myself to the Blue Ridge Escarpment and the Southern Appalachian Mountains by travelling to South Carolina in March to witness the emergence of the spring ephemerals.  I find myself far more captivated by the variety and rarity of these tiny wonders than the larger flowering shrubs that dominate attention later in the spring season.  This year, the bloom was later and slower than the past few.  I found myself on the front edge of the first wave of ephemerals.

While on photo adventure with @flashmama80, we came upon a patch of beautifully tinted Hepatica on the banks of a small stream near a tributary to Eastatoe Creek.  I was excited to find two beautifully colored buds leaning on each other, creating intimate interaction and story.  These are the small discoveries that dominate and drive my early season photography adventures.

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

Date taken:  March 15, 2025
Settings:  f14, 1/250 second, iso 100