Week two of my search for the perfect blooms of spring, brought me back to the Cincinnati Nature Center. Hoping to see the glory of a sea of daffodil, I was a bit disappointed to find that most were not in bloom yet. I'm feeling like a mid week visit might be in order, so that I can catch the best of the blooms, however, it will probably be the weekend before the majority are showing. That said, there were a few fields in bloom, though the sun was so bright at the time I shot this, that I don't have the feeling of satisfaction, photographically speaking.
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| Field of daffodil |
Most of what I saw was the same as last week, but I did find a couple of additions to the collection for this spring. Here is a Helleborus (Lenten Rose) of which I have many in my garden. It is an impressive plant, in that it is long lasting and the deer don't eat it.
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| Helleborus niger |
A lot of the time I was on the lookout for the extremely gorgeous White Trout Lilly, of which there was an abundance last week. Of course, I was on a different part of the trail this week, so I didn't see them until I was on my way out and then found this group and a few more on the stone steps. Mostly, those that I observed were on the wane, so I was glad to find these prime examples hanging out in the crotch of a stone wall.
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| Grouping of White Trout Lilly |
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| Lonely White Trout Lilly |
On the previous week's visit, there were ladies raving about the Virginia Bluebells and that we should keep an eye out for them. I had no idea, and forgot to look them up, so I didn't even know that I was looking at them early on. They appear as a small clump of purple little buds hiding in the midst of an unfolding leaf clump. Unless you looked closely, they just looked like a green vegetation with no flower. But, they were in there and the word is that they are spectacular and plentiful. I will be visiting more often in expectation of their arrival. Some say a week, others two weeks. I'll probably be stopping by during the week as well as the weekend, just to make sure I don't miss these spectacular blooms. Here's a shot of what's showing as of today.
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| Birth of Virginia Bluebell |
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I also found a few grape hyacinth poking out from between some rocks in the herb wall. They are really cute, but hard to photograph.
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| Grape Hyacinth |
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I also found these little guys. I don't know what they are and they were very few and far between, but none the less, an extremely attractive flower. I love their delicate appearance and the cool blue stripe in the center of the petals.
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| Unknown |
Lastly, I revisited several of the blue flowers from my previous visit. I love the deep center of this first one and hope to shoot it again, as I'm sure it can be captured to better display it's splendor.
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| Periwinkle | |
And the Siberian Squill.
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| Siberian Squill |
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That's all for this week. Stay tuned for what's to come and thanks for looking.
