Tulips for Spring

HAPPY SPRING!

touch of heather

touch of heather, a photo by Alida's Photos on Flickr.

Long Island in Spring

Such a beautiful time of year here on Long Island. The flowers are all in bloom and show their rich colors against the green leaves and blue sky. Beautiful.

The weather has not been typical of our springtime weather though. Cooler than usual and lots of rain and fog, it's not what you would expect. We just keep waiting for better weather.

Muttontown Preserve

Muttontown Preserve, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

This was my first visit to the Muttontown Preserve.

We went to the Preserve today to take photos of wildflowers and were disappointed.

The drought has the meadow very brown and dry and almost void of flowers.

Also, I was surprised at the maintenance at the Nassau County Muttontown Preserve.

The trails were not groomed and we had to walk through high grass with poison ivy.

I guess it is kept as natural as possible, after all, it is a "preserve" and as wild as you would expect of undeveloped Long Island land.

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Lighting from Above

flower macro crop, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

On very cold days, or windy, or gray days, when outdoor photography is just not an option, indoor macro is the next best thing. This flower was lit from above and is sitting in front of black velvet, taken with a macro lens.

lady bug on dahlia

lady bug on dahlia, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

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The Bayard Cutting Arboretum has a "Dahlia Garden" in full bloom right now.

We went to the arboretum in Oakdale, yesterday.

I took a lens for landscapes to capture the trees in their autumn colors but found that most trees are still green.

The dahlias were in bloom and lucky for me, I had my macro lens.

This little guy was just waiting for me to take a shot.

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stone and blue

stone and blue, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

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The potted plants seem to be doing very well at my place.

Cooler temperatures are keeping them green and not in need of frequent watering.

As the weather gets colder, some plants will need to be brought into the house but most annuals will be discarded.

It seems like such a waste, but that is the price to pay for the continuous color of annuals.

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mauve macro

mauve, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos

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I've been taking lots of macro flower shots the last few days.

The garden is beautiful, with color and lush green foliage.

It is always best this time of year, before the dry heat of July and August.

Macro photography lets the details be shown, more than you are usually aware.

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lilac macro

lilac macro, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

daisy fisheye

daisy fisheye, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Old Westbury Gardens

Old Westbury Gardens, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

The Thatched Cottage

closing daisy

closing daisy, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Macro shot of a closing daisy.
The macro lens allows some creativity and an appreciation of details.

Early Springtime on Long Island

Early Springtime on Long Island, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Happy Easter!!

daffodils in April, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

This photo is not from this year, but Easter is so early that the daffodils are not yet blooming.

 I wanted a photo that says, "Happy Easter" and went into my archives.

Happy Easter!

Wishing for Spring to Arrive

We took a ride to the farm-stand today. We saw that the pansies have arrived and couldn't wait to buy some for the front porch!

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Our friendly Sayville farm-stand lady was waiting for some customers. Not much like spring with warm gloves and few things to sell, she was still as pleasant as always.

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Ahh, tulips, not yet opened, but having some color and the promise of spring!

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christmas cactus

christmas cactus, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

It is beginning to bloom......
Almost ready for the holiday....

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