A Flowering Shrub One May Morning / by Todd Henson

I don’t know why, but sometimes it seems spring is the shortest season. Perhaps because that’s when there’s so much new growth and flowering that I just can’t find the time to see and photograph it all, and so it feels as if it passes quickly. But as ephemeral as it may be, and perhaps because of this, I cherish it.

Down along one of the creeks we frequent the vines and shrubs are quickly taking over again, sending out new growth, sometimes full of thorns, or in this case full of flowers (and sometimes both). Just after traversing a bridge over the creek I noticed a clustering of flowers down a small incline, so I made my way down and began exploring. The first two photographs in this post came from that area.

A calm moment one May morning

For the first photograph I just loved the simplicity of the white flowers with the green leaves against the darker background. I spent a little time exploring, looking for a pleasing composition. I settled for this one, with the branches coming in from the right and a slight angle to the leaves next to the blossoms.

Light white blooms

I kept exploring that area and found another cluster a little more in the open, letting some light fall beside and behind the petals, giving them a soft glow. I was drawn to the delicate nature of this scene.

A little over an hour later we found ourselves on an old dirt road now serving as a trail with trees, shrubs and vines growing up along each side creating this beautifully straight path through the greenery of spring. This stretch was also covered in the same type of shrub I’d photographed earlier, but the light was different as we were in a more shaded area. As we walked one particular composition jumped out at me. I didn’t have to work much for it as it was right there, almost as if it were daring me to stop and photograph it. So I did.

Mid-May blooms

I very much like the variety in this image, how the white flower on the left is similar to those in the previous image, but the flower to the right has some vivid yellow to it, while the unopened buds are a very light pink. I think I also like that there are fewer open blossoms in this one, making for a slightly simpler image. As a bonus, if you look very closely you may notice many insects hidden throughout the photo, blending in very well with the greenery.

I’m not certain of the species of these shrubs, but I suspect they may be wild blackberry or something similar. In time perhaps we’ll find out if we happen by when they’re producing fruit. We have noticed other berries along the trail, like blueberries, so I’d imagine this area is popular with wildlife.


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