Sunday 4 March 2012: Rhododendron

At last we have a day with lots of sunshine, although there have also been a few heavy showers and some hail. Never mind, it looks and feels like Spring which fair lifts the spirits!

With the improved light, I spent ages trying to get some decent blips of the birds in the garden. However, when it came to reviewing them there wasn't anything that made the cut. The only reasonable shots were very similar to ones I have posted before, so were rejected.

Instead, its a close up a a Rhododendron that I spotted hanging over someone's garden wall and catching the early morning sun. It was captured in the wee compact while out on my run in case I needed a back-up. So the little Rododendron is off the bench to show off its beauty on Blip. Anyone who has been to Carradale in late Spring will know it is associated with the wonderful show of Common Rhododendron's violet-purple flowers, which cover the hillsides and many gardens. The fact that they are also one of the most invasive of plants is sometimes forgotten.

I am pretty sure this is a hybrid and was probably bought in a garden centre many years ago. There are a number of hybrids around the avenues of the estate and they are always the first to flower, providing another sign that Spring is here. I liked the way the sun was shining through some of the petals and casting the stamen's shadows on others.

• DSC-W170:
• f/8:
• 1/160":
• 5.0mm:
• ISO 100

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