I love to photograph the annual Virginia Bluebell bloom along the Potomac River in Northern Virginia.  I think, for me, it’s about what they represent.  I’m usually fresh off travels to the Southern Appalachian Mountains, eyes and nose full of memories of pollen and diverse wildflowers, incredible habitats and wild spaces.  Now, back in the shadow of Washington D.C., I don’t expect much from the landscape.  Every plot of open land has been thoroughly run over, shaped, paved, tamed, turned into something efficient and amenable to many users.  Yet, every spring, the floodplains of the Potomac River come alive with oceans of spring ephemeral wildflowers.  The star of the show, if for no other reason than sheer abundance, is the Virginia Bluebell.

Just down the river, around the Tidal Basin in Washington D.C., the famous cherry trees pull tourists and locals alike to their colorful blooms.  They serve as endless backdrops for Instagram portraits; tireless adverts for the city; trees with marketing pedigree.  Heavily color graded images of flowering magnolias and cherry trees dominate the visual feed.  Behind the soft pink beauty of blooms, however, is a crowded experience.  Cherry blossoms are a social event.  There’s a lot of energy and hype.  People buzz about like bees to spring flowers.  This is a city experience.

The Virginia Bluebell blooms at nearly the same time, only about fifteen miles downstream.  Out of the city.  In small parks behind quiet suburbs.  Their numbers are so abundant the tiny blue flowers can carpet miles upon miles of shoreline along the Potomac River.  For me, being within and around the Bluebells is a more meaningful experience.  It feels humble, quiet.  There’s space.  It’s not a destination.  It’s not an Instagram event.  But that’s just it, for me:  in a place that is so developed and buttoned up, the Virginia Bluebells are an opportunity to find a moment of wild, of beauty, of defiance.  They don’t bloom for me to gain followers or book workshops or win acclaim from my peers.  They just are.  Beautiful.

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

Date taken:  April 07, 2025
Settings:  f14, 1/250 second, iso 100