flowers

First Spring Crocus of 2026 /  by Todd Henson

First spring crocus of 2026

On March 7th my father pointed out the first small crocus blossoms of the year opening out front of his house. I had my camera with me that day so of course I couldn’t resist getting down on the ground to create some photographs to capture this beautiful signal of the beginning of spring in 2026.

Inside a crocus

Early spring crocus

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Devil’s Paintbrush /  by Todd Henson

A devil’s paintbrush

During a trip to New Hampshire my eyes were almost constantly drawn to these beautiful and bright patches of orange and yellow along the sides of so many roads. When we stopped to get a better look my father said it was a flower they call devil’s paintbrush up in that area and it was considered a weed. And yet I found it beautiful.

A devil’s paintbrush bouquet, view 1

Devil’s paintbrush is also known as orange hawkweed, more formally referred to as Pilosella aurantiaca and Hieracium aurantiacum. It is native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe and was introduced at some point long ago to North America. It’s classified as a noxious weed in some non-native regions in the United States and yet is protected in some of its native regions.

A devil’s paintbrush bouquet, view 2

A devil’s paintbrush bouquet, view 3

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Variations on a Theme: Wild Geranium - Spring 2025 /  by Todd Henson

While out photographing trilliums in spring my eye was also drawn to the many wild geranium blooms. I chose one particular subject that included both bud and bloom and got to work experimenting with different variations. In the end I had two versions I liked.

For the first variation I went for horizontal framing and chose a bolder, darker, more vibrant portrayal. This image is a 2-photo focus stack for a slight bit of added depth of field, though it doesn’t really add much.

Variation 1: Bolder, darker, more vibrant

For the second variation I went for square framing and chose a softer, lighter and brighter portrayal.

Variation 2: Softer, lighter, brighter

Which, if either, do you prefer? Leave a comment below and let me know.

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