We moved from Florida 18 years ago, and spring in Virginia seems to get better each year. That could be because I appreciate it more now that I am focused on its beauty as I try to capture it in my photography. Spring also seems to be much more beautiful here than in Florida probably because Florida is green all year, while here the landscape changes so dramatically from brown, leafless trees, bushes and plants to flowers and green growth everywhere. I have been photographing some of that beauty, and some of what I have captured follows. More images are in my spring galleries on my Website.
After winter, even a dandelion sphere about to disperse its seed-bearing parachutes makes an interesting and beautiful photograph (105mm, f9, 1/25, ISO 200). There is amazing beauty in what we think of as weeds and often overlook. (Click on the images to see them larger.)
While hiking at Leesylvania State Park this weekend, I had to stop and shoot the large yellow and orange flowers of a yellow poplar tree, which is one of Virginia’s tallest trees growing to 120′ and whose flowers are 2″ tall (100mm, f5.3, 1/160, ISO 200).
We have walked through Leesylvania many, many times and have often seen pawpaw trees and their pawpaw fruit late each summer, but we have never seen until this weekend the pawpaw tree flowers that bear the fruit. The fetid flowers are unusually shaped and a deep maroon, purplish color (65mm, f5.6, 1/200, ISO 200).
Besides seeing the many flowering trees at Leesylvania State Park this weekend, as I posted last night, we saw a bright yellow prothonotary warbler. Another photo of this beautiful bird follows (300mm, f9, 1/200, ISO 200).
In closing, not everything that we saw this weekend was beautiful. Below is an eastern box turtle that most likely recently emerged from its underground winter location with a face that only another turtle could love (300mm, f7.1, 1/60, ISO 200).
Additional spring photos can be found in my spring galleries at: http://stabone.com/f481735306
By the way, my next posting will be from an upcoming visit to shoot the many (22) waterfalls at Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania.
Stephen L Tabone Nature Photography 
When I first opened this and saw the lowly dandelion I was surprised … first, because it is a weed that we hate (I’ve trained Kyle to pick all the dandelions when they are yellow flowers) and second, because it looked so beautiful! Imagine that … a weed looking so wonderful! Love all the trees’ flowers! It’s great to see spring in an area that I do not know.
Seeing that dandelion seed sphere in near perfect condition and glowing as the sun hit it intermittently because it was blowing in the wind, well, I just could not resist and am glad I did not. Actually, shot many.
I must disagree with your opinion of the eastern box turtle. I think it is beautiful! They are a rare sight these days and I love the photo, as well as your others. The tree at the top is a tulip poplar.