At this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, as well as coastal California and Oregon, so many flowers, shrubs, and trees are in bloom and producing pollen that sidewalks, houses, and vehicles are covered with the magic gold dust.  I had never seen rhododendrons and azaleas in bloom before in such masses.  They were everywhere, in almost every garden, commercial planting, and park.  I don't know how many varieties are grown in the area, but the colors range from deep purple to red, magenta, coral, white, and as, in the flower below, pink with white accents.

rhododendron-2    

Peonies were also in bloom.  Their shape and color have been subjects of scientists, artists, and photographers for centuries.

peony

One tree I have loved for years is the Japanese maple.  Its many varieties thrive in damp, moderate climates, which makes the Pacific Northwest a nearly perfect environment for it. This is an abstract of the leaves as I photographed from below the leaf canopy.

Japanese maple abstract

My photographer friend Steve Immel mentioned he would like to see the Japanese fern photograph in black and white.  I had several different shots and rendered this one as a black and white.

Japanese fern b & w

until next Monday,

DB 

a passion for the image@