Early Season Wildflower Blooms
They are predicting a 70 to 90 percent chance of rain every day for the coming week. And although it was slightly overcast yesterday, the weather was cool and dry. So I decided to go for a late afternoon weekend bike ride to the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which is located approximately 25 miles due south of D.C., at 13950 Dawson Beach Road (MAP), where the Occoquan River meets the Potomac River in Prince William County, Virginia .
Having been there before, it occurred to me as I was initially riding through the refuge that there was very little color compared to the last time I was there. This is evidenced by the above photo. The green has returned with the Spring. But most of the other colors have yet to follow because many of the larger blooming plants do not peak until later in the summer. But as I continued riding I looked more closely and was intermittently able to find a variety of color in small flowers and leaves along the way.
The small size of the blooms gave me the chance to practice some selective focus photography. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts as shown in the photos below, there is no type of photography can capture their true beauty. For that I recommend you get out there and see it for yourself.
The whole experience reminded me of how there is always beauty all around you. It’s just that sometimes it’s not obvious. Sometimes you have to look for it to find it.
[Click on the thumbnails above to view the full size photos]
