Spring has finally sprung… and it won’t be long until summer is officially here. The snow has gone at last (with the temperatures we’ve been getting this bank holiday weekend, I can’t imagine it’ll be back any time soon) and the plant-life in the garden is beginning to thrive. I love this time of year!
There is some work to do in the garden though… Dandelions are in abundance and they need pulling before they go to seed (although, I don’t mind one or two, for photography purposes, obviously!). Also, the heather and lavender were crushed beneath the almighty snow drifts we had not so long back, so we’ll have to see if they recover or if they need replacing.
These tulips are beautiful, but I had a bit of a shock when I leaned over one with my camera to take a photo of the inside only to be greeted by a spider. Not something I wanted to see magnified by the macro lens!
I love these violas. The colours so beautiful! They’ve done really well. We bought them from a local garden nursery last spring and they flowered for a long time, so it was nice to see them pop up again this year (despite all that snow holding them back).
We always get some of these bluebells appear at one end of the garden. They’re another favourite of mine. I keep meaning to visit a nearby woodland where they flower in abundance.
The visiting bees seem to be quite big this year. This one is a red-tailed bumble bee. I’ve seen them here a few times before (in fact, you might have seen them in my Bluebells and Bees post a couple of years ago). We get quite a variety of bees visiting the garden, but they’re not always easy to photograph!
23 Comments
Carol
Your garden macros are delightful! Your violas are gorgeous too.
Nikki
Thank you 🙂
Pam Jackson
Such beautiful pics. I esp love purple in the garden. I think most of what I had growing last yr was nothing but purple. Thanks for sharing.
Nikki
Purple is a great colour to have in the garden. It seems to attract the bees.
Kelly
Absolutely gorgeous photos! The colors in the violas remind me of pansies. So pretty!
Nikki
They are very similar flowers. I think pansies are bigger than violas.
Yvonne@FictionBooks
I don’t know about spring arriving, I think we have bypassed that and gone straight to summer, with these record breaking temperatures!
I shall probably get shot down in flames immediately, but I really am not a lover of this heat. I am much more of a spring and autumn person and all I want to do in this weather is lie down in a darkened room and sleep!
We did venture out for a walk with relatives yesterday and it was in the woods, so that wasn’t so bad … Yes! the Bluebell Woods at Badbury Hill in Oxon, really did look this good 🙂
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/badbury-hill/features/bluebells-at-badbury-hill-
The tulips are still looking amazing too and that lovely shot of the viola has fantastic colour saturation.
The red-tailed bumble bee is new to me, I shall have to keep a look out for one, although there are some whopper bumble bees out there already this season.
I always enjoy your photography posts 🙂
Yvonne xx
Nikki
I’m not a lover of heat either! I could do with it being a bit cooler.
Thanks for your lovely comments and dropping by. I hope you’re well 🙂
Lady Fi
So beautiful!
Debbie
Hi Nikki, it is nice to see the flowers waking up after their long winter sleep. Your flowers look beautiful. I’m most impressed by the bumblebee though, the detail makes me want to reach out and stroke it!
xx
Nikki
Thank you. I love taking photos of bees (when they stop still long enough!).
Anca
The bumble bee is so cute. Love your pictures, it’s so nice to see beautiful flowers.
jeanie
Bees may be hard to photograph but you certainly were living right on this day — wonderful shot! Your garden is just gorgeous and I’m more than a tad envious of your tulips, the deer having devoured mine! Aren’t you glad that spring is FINALLY here?! I am!
Nikki
Thank you!
Merkitty
Beautiful photos. I think I’d scream if I saw a spider on my lens though!
Ageeth Mooij
So good to know the promise of spring in our winters. So special every year our wonder about the beauty we find. Your picture are beautiful!
jessicabookworm
Beautiful photos 🙂
Lady Fi
Beautiful shots.
Tilly travel
How’s your garden now? We lost a lot of our plants and the pond to the winter.
Nikki
It’s still flowering (and I’ve been to the plant nursery to get some more plants!).
Kel
Your photos are GORGEOUS!
I’m so glad spring finally emerged too, and we’ve been busy in the garden – though we have a LONG way to go before it resembles anything other than a mini-jungle!
Kezzie
Your photos are really delightful! What vibrant colours and crisp details! Spring is a joy!
CherryPie
Your photos of spring are delightful. Thank you 🙂