Tag Archives: spring

Dogwood Blossom – Yosemite Valley

Dogwood Blossom - Yosemite Valley
Dogwood Blossom – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. April 27, 2008 © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

On my first “One Day Yosemite Valley Blitz” of the season I drove up the Valley for a day of photography on April 27. The dogwood trees were just starting to bloom and although most were still far from their peak I did find a few wonderful blossoms including this one on a fallen tree near the east end of the Valley.

The blossoming of the dogwoods is one of the major attractions of the spring season for many Yosemite aficionados, almost rivaling the spring waterfalls. They may start in late April and continue on into May, though the timing can vary quite a bit depending on the precise location and elevation of the trees.

keywords: dogwood, blossom, bloom, flower, spring, tree, leaf, bokeh, forest, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, foliage, nature, scenic, travel, stock

Purple and White Wildflowers

Purple and White Wildflowers
Purple and White Wildflowers. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 26, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Purple and white wildflowers photographed in a shady valley at Almaden Quicksilver Park, California.

I’m terrible at identifying most wildflowers, though a helpful friend tells me that these are Collinsia heterophylla, or Chinese houses. (Thanks, Gena!)

keywords: California, flower, Foothills, Forest, Grass, hiking, Leaf, nature, plant, Spring, purple, white, wild, wildflower, green, san jose, santa clara, county, almaden, quicksilver, park, usa, stock

White Globe Lily Plant and Flowers

Chinese Lantern Plant and Flowers
White Globe Lily Plant and Flowers. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 26, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

White globe lily plant in bloom in a shady valley at Almaden Quicksilver Park, California.

Yet another photograph of the white globe lily flowers, though this one includes more of the plant, with its slender, pointed leaves backlit by sunlight filtering through the forest canopy.

keywords: California, flower, Foothills, Forest, Grass, hiking, Leaf, nature, plant, Spring, chinese, lantern, wildflower, almaden, quicksilver, santa clara county, san jose, park, spring, hiking, usa, stock, green

Two White Globe Lily Flowers

Two Chinese Lantern Flowers
Two White Globe Lily Flowers. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 26, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two white globe lily flowers growing in a narrow canyon at Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. I make a point of hiking through this canyon with my camera equipment every April, when many wildflowers are in bloom.

A couple notes on this photo and some other wildflower photos that will soon follow… I know the location of these flowers very well – they grow along a trail through a canyon at a nearby park where I hike many times each year. I shot these photographs without a tripod. In fact, I travelled very light when I did much of this flower photography this season – on this day I was carrying only my Canon 5D and a 24-105mm zoom. The lens choice might catch the attention of some readers, since this is not your typical macro lens – but I’ve found that it works quite well for this type of shooting, and that it is possible to get a pleasing background blur in many cases if I use a large aperture and pay attention to what is in the background.

keywords: chinese lantern, flower, wild, wildflower, spring, canyon, blossom, plant, leaf, nature, almaden, quicksilver, santa clara county, park, san jose, stock