Mostly Photos

First Eastern Gartersnake of 2023 /  by Todd Henson

On April 2nd while hiking Seven Bends State Park in Virginia my father sighted our first Eastern gartersnake of the year. It was resting just off the trail on some leaves. He said he might not have seen it if we hadn’t been actively looking for Virginia bluebells and that while scanning the edge of the trail he noticed the coiled snake. He called me over and I created a couple photos.

The photo below was the first photo I created, looking down on the snake, trying to get something quickly in case the snake fled. This is nice in that it shows how the snake can blend into the scene. Look closely and you might notice at least a couple boxelder bugs.

First view of an Eastern gartersnake in 2023

Then I got down low to get closer to eye level with the snake. I love the added intimacy of these sorts of views. Getting low and close with a macro lens helps simplify the scene by blurring out the background, really focusing the viewers attention on the snake, and in particular the eye of the snake.

Eye to eye with an Eastern gartersnake

Unfortunately, shortly after I created the photo above the snake slithered away into the leaves. I always hate it when I scare away a subject, but as slow and quiet and respectful as I try to be, it does sometimes happen.

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Dutchman’s Breeches in Early Spring /  by Todd Henson

Hanging out the laundry

Scattered every so often amongst the Virginia bluebells I wrote about last week were these wonderful little Dutchman’s breeches, or britches, more formally known as Dicentra cucullaria. I’d hoped to find some close enough to the bluebells that I could include both in a photo, but that was not to be on this trip. Even so, I was pleased with what I walked away with, especially given the wind that day.

Dutchman’s breeches

Dutchman’s breeches in spring

I hope you enjoy these views of this delicate spring wildflower.

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Virginia Bluebells Along Seven Bends /  by Todd Henson

Virginia bluebells in the woods

On the first weekend of April (2023) my father and I returned to Seven Bends State Park, a couple weeks after our first visit, and discovered the Virginia bluebells were in full bloom along the river. Of course, we also found it to be a very sunny day with lots of wind, so photographing flowers wasn’t the most obvious choice of pursuits that day, and yet that’s what I did.

We first noticed the bluebells when hiking down from a hill, seeing hints of blue along the base of the hill. What you see above is how it looked when the sun finally went behind some clouds and the wind eased up just a bit. What you see below is how it first looked with the sun out in full.

Virginia bluebells in light and shadow

Hiking closer to the river we found even more Virginia bluebells, though that area was a very busy one. To see what I mean check out the photo below, showing bluebells all along the ground with lots of trees and vines all around.

A busy scene with Virginia bluebells

Before leaving the area I was determined to get one portrait of a Virginia bluebell. And that’s when the sun came back out and the wind picked up. But I setup the tripod, framed my composition, came up with my settings and then waited… and waited… and waited… until that brief but inevitable moment when the breeze stills for just an instant. Thankfully that also happened when the sun was behind a cloud, so I was able to capture a quick and simple portrait.

A portrait of Virginia bluebells

And just to show what it looked like the rest of the time, below is a 1/3 of a second exposure demonstrating how windy it was.

Virginia bluebells dancing in the wind

A sunny and windy day may not be the best time to photograph flowers, but if you’re there you might as well give it a try anyway. If nothing else you’ll have a story to tell afterwards.

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