Amy’s challenge this week comes at just the right time as spring is “exploding” all around us in New Hampshire. One of the wonderful things I love about spring is it’s joyfulness. After the dreariness of winter, the bursts of color as the trees and flowers bloom seem miraculous.
Eager to welcome spring, I bought a small container pot of miniature daffodils about a week ago. Within 24 hours of bringing them home, the flowers bloomed. I was astonished at how quickly the magnificent yellow and orange flowers appeared. Their beauty is vivid, delicate and tender.
Another feature of spring is its transience. One day, I’m enjoying the apple and cherry trees in bloom and the next day, I’m watching their pink and white petals falling to the ground and carpeting the sidewalk. Speaking of cherry blossoms, here’s an image captured in Paris several years ago of a man enjoying some fresh air under a bower of pink blooms. I loved how his shirt matched the flowers.
Wisteria is a stunning spring bloom with magnificent purple petals. I couldn’t resist re-posting two of my favorite wisteria images captured at the Villa Bardini in Florence.
I’ll end my post with a poem that sums up the beauty, hopefulness, and patience of spring and its transformative power in ourselves and in nature.
Instructions on Not Giving Up Ada Limón - 1976- More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor’s almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving their cotton candy-colored blossoms to the slate sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees that really gets to me. When all the shock of white and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave the pavement strewn with the confetti of aftermath, the leaves come. Patient, plodding, a green skin growing over whatever winter did to us, a return to the strange idea of continuous living despite the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then, I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.
We are sure you’ll enjoy Amy’s gorgeous wildflower post this week and we invite you to share your “colorful April” photos taken in your local area or during your travels. In your post, please use the lens-artists tag and include a link to Amy’s original post. Please join us. You always inspire and delight us!
Next week, Tina will be leading us for LAPC #144, so be sure to visit her site next Saturday at noon. In the meantime, have a wonderful creative week and please stay safe.
Categories: LENS-ARTISTS, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography
Beautiful April colors! The yellow daffodils are my favorite!
Hi, Beth. Thanks! I loved them. I just wish they had lasted longer!
Gorgeousness!
Thanks, Cindy. I love the hopefulness of spring! I hope all’s well with you.
Love your Parisian, cherry Blossoms! And the wisteria
Thanks, Sue. They were wonderful sights! I’m sure you’re enjoying spring in the UK.
There are some nice blossoms around!
The cherry blossoms and the Italian wisteria are magnificent, Patti. I first encountered wisteria at Descanso Gardens near Pasadena some years ago. Besides the beauty of the flowers, the scent was magnificent, reminiscent of lilacs to me. Happy weekend.
janet
Ahh….it’s wonderful, isn’t it? I love it and lilacs…and cherry blossoms…and….Happy weekend, too.
How joyful to see these daffodil blooms within 24 hours! Beautiful pink color of cherry blossoms in Paris. The view of Florence from Villa Bardini is stunning. You captured the beauty of Wisteria.
Hi, Amy. It was wonderful and a big surprise! I’m so glad you loved the flowers I picked!! This is a beautiful challenge.
Thank you so much for your support and help.
That wisteria was just bare twigs when we were there in February, Patti. Glorious to see it in bloom 🙂 🙂
Oh, you were there in February! How wonderful! It really blooms beautifully in May. What a treat! I hope things are blooming near you!
February 4 years ago 🤗💕 We`re past the Spring stage, Patti but plenty of blossom around.
Hopefully you can go again next year? this year? Who knows when!
I doubt I ever will, Patti. I saw some photos of the trip last night and it was actually 6 years ago! I have other priorities now 😊💕
Right. There’s a time and a place for traveling! We’re still in the “travel” mode now, but who knows when we can leave!!
Soooo beautiful. It is time for spring.
Hi, John. Yes. We’re ready for spring!! Looking forward to your post, too.
Lovely images, lovely expressive poem.
Hi, Marlene. I’m delighted you like them! I hope you can join us.
Lovely photos. The wisteria is beautiful.
The wisteria is just amazing in Florence. I haven’t seen it yet in New Hampshire. It’s a bit too early for it. I hope you have flowers blooming near you, too. Thanks for your kind words.
Love the pic of Florence … and the wisteria delivers a soft pop! 🙂
Hi, Frank. It is such a rich color, isn’t it? I love all the shades of purple. I hope all’s well with you. Taking any beach walks?
So gorgeous. ..the Wisteria is a show stopper.
Hi, Anita. It is so beautiful, isn’t it? I have never seen it in such profusion except in Florence. Glad you enjoyed it, too!
Hoping my Wisteria will bloom this year..it is such a beautiful flower.
I hope so, too, Anita.
Beautiful. The cherry blossoms in Paris, that must have been amazing! Love that photo❣❣
Thanks, Lisa. It was gorgeous…I hope you have flowers blooming near you, too.
We do have them, but sometimes you need to look for them!! Right now we actually do have some beautiful trees blossoming.
Wonderful. Enjoy this wonderful time of year.
Beautiful images and wonderful poem!!!
Hi, Ana. Glad you enjoyed it! I love the variety of emotions in it. And thanks for your kind words about the images.😀
A true celebration of spring. And we shall have wisteria here oh-so-soon.
It is a joyful celebration. I hope your wisteria come soon! I love them, too.
Or simply: hamami. Well done, Patti 😊
Thanks, Andre!! I’m delighted you like this one! I hope all’s well with you.
Yep, I’m fine. You,too?
Yes. Thankfully.😀
that’s great. Fortunately it seems, to become better soon 😊
They are all beautiful and the picture of Florence is sublime but I could never see cherry trees in bloom as obscene. Perhaps I am just very broadminded when it comes to the excess of flowering cherries 🙂
It is an odd choice of words–“Obscene.” I thought the poet meant that given her state of mind they seemed obscenely joyful or extravagant…?? I agree with you. I love the excess of blooms! It reminds me of nature’s generosity.
It is certainly not the typical ‘hurray – spring is here!’ poem. I was taught always to think about any word that seems strange in a poem and old habits die hard. A poet not minded to be joyful wondering if she can take it all and carry on like the trees.
Yes. The words that are jarring are keys to the deeper meaning. I agree. And then we all debate what the meaning is for us personally! I love it.
These are all great selections, Patti. I enjoyed the slide for the daffodils.
I had no idea they could bloom indoors. I was going to ask for how long
but you answered that with Beth. Wisteria a beautiful find.
Spring in April has sprung on your posts this week. I enjoyed the poem too.
Be Safe … 😷 🙏🏻 😊 Isadora 😎
https://isadoraartandphotography.wordpress.com/2021/04/10/lens-artists-photo-challenge-colorful-spring/
Hi, Izzy. Thank you! I appreciate your kind words about the post and poem. I’ll look at your post next! And yes, stay safe, too.
Spring is here and along with it came a bit of “normalcy” in traveling in the form of a vaccine. Beautiful selections, with my favorite being that view from the Villa Bardini!
Wisteria in Florence is astonishing, what time of year were you there? It is so easy to miss spring blossoms. I love the poem. I get great joy out of watching the fresh green shoots turn into leaves in my garden. Bright, fresh greens and some that are almost yellow. It is such a delight.
Hi, Jude. We arrived at the end of March and were there until early June. (So lucky we could stay that long!). The wisteria were blooming in May, I believe. So gorgeous. I hope you can get to see the city at that time of year.
I’d love to see Florence, but whether I will now… I can’t see me travelling abroad for a while.
Sadly, same is true for me. We’re still hoping to go in the fall, but the chance of that happening is getting more and more remote, I think.
I won’t be going abroad whilst there are still restrictions, quarantine and the virus spreading.
Yes. I feel the same way…too risky.
Beautiful photos Patti! The tulips and the wisteria are my favourites!
Hi, Aletta. Thank you! I love the wisteria. I hope spring is “blooming” near you, too.
No spring for a while… We are heading into autumn
Oh, right!!! Southern Hemisphere!! Enjoy the season…those beautiful fall colors are wonderful.
Thanks will do!
Beautiful response Patti – I loved your little daffodils but truth be told I liked them just as well as stalks! And of course your travel images with the glorious flowers were wonderful. I especially loved the one with Florence in the background. Terrific post as always
Hi, Tina. The suspense ended so quickly! They bloomed so fast! It was fun to write about such a joyful time of the year. I’ll visit your site next!
Your photos are so stunning this week. Love your daffs and wisteria photos. 😀
Thanks, Cee! I like that–“daffs”! Perfect. I hope all’s well.
What lovely images Patti and what a lovely poem. Thank you for sharing.
I’m delighted you enjoyed them, MM. I hope all’s well with you.
Beautiful photographs. I love spring with all her blooms. What a great idea to brighten a home with planted daffodils.
Hi, Ingrid. It was fun to watch them bloom overnight. I just wish they lingered a bit longer. In a few days, they had already started to fade and shrivel. But it was glorious while it lasted! And thanks for your kind words about the photos!
Beautiful post Patti. The daffodils are gorgeous, and I love the Paris shot. Oh, and the wisteria 😀
I love spring flowers! Their joy is contagious. I hope all’s well with you, too.
Loved the layers of wisteria blossoms, Patti. The poem is just what we needed right now. Thanks!
Wonderful, Siobhan. Glad they lifted your spirits!😀
Such wonderful sunlight on that wisteria! And you make me nostalgic about travel with that shot of the man sitting under the arch of cherry flowers. Paris in springtime indeed!
Thanks also for introducing me to Ada Limon
You’re very welcome, IJ. I’m delighted you like them!! Have a good week.
This is such a beautiful post, Patti! You know Wisteria is one of my favourite flowers, and your captures are glorious.
I didn’t know you love wisteria!! It’s one of my favorites, too. Florence has so many places with them all over the city. I love it! I hope your weather is warming up and it’s sunny now.
Oh, it’s warming up a bit for some days. They say we could get some 15 C Sunday. That would be the warmest day this year so far…But the sun is shining!
Glorious images and beautiful flowers Patti, especially the cherry blossom 🌸
Thanks, Xenia. I love their beauty, exuberance, and hopefulness.
Beautiful shots, Patti 👏 & to have those daffs in your living room is extra special 😃
Beautiful photos, especially the Parisian cherry blossom and the wisteria. April is too early for the latter here so I must wait a while longer to see what is one of my favourite flowers, but meanwhile I can enjoy your wonderful examples 🙂
Patti, what a lovely series of spring flowers. I can image how pretty the daffodils looked in your home when they bloomed! What a great idea to purchase them. And, I love seeing the delicate small flowers on wisteria vines!
Hi, Sylvia. Thank you! The daffodils are so cheerful. I love them. I just wish they lasted longer!!