On our planet, terrestrials - animals and plants alike - are controlled by the passing of time.  Day into night, night into day, days into weeks, months, and years. Whether or not a creature or plant measures it in the same way humans do, everything is governed by it.  The leader of a photographic workshop I took at Point Reyes, California years ago, said that "Light is everything."  I have pondered and followed that as a photographer ever since.  But time and timing are also crucial in photography and life, even in photographing things or objects that do not move.  Case in point, wildflowers, such paintbrush.  

Our final snow of substance this spring was on the 19th of May.  Melted, it translated into 1/3 of an inch of moisture, which was a perfect addition for the flowering mesa plants.  The Santa Fe phlox had already had a banner year, and some are still in bloom.  But the extra boost from nature has enabled the paintbrush (Castilleja integra) to thrive and make a huge splash among the grass and sagebrush, not to mention the white of snow.

paintbrush in snow 2

paintbrush in snow  

The wonderful thing about late spring snow is that it melts and sinks into the soil quickly, because the ground is no longer frozen.  After the late snow this spring, the paintbrush really swung into action.  So did I.  

paintbrush 3

paintbrush

paintbrush 2

I suspect there are several more paintbrush shoots in my future, not only on the mesa, but in the mountains.  Flowers are just starting to bloom now at the higher elevations.  While I await the effect of time on the mountain flowers, I will continue to search nature in all its messy and wonderful glory.

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image@