While I still seem unable to follow the WordPress photo challenge series, I am grateful that Heather sent me this week’s challenge.  Especially because the topic is spring.  I’ve been encouraged by the signs of spring around here in the last couple of weeks.  It’s still cold though, and today the 46 degrees (7.77 C) is augmented with rainy drizzle and clouds.  It didn’t feel much like spring, but it wasn’t winter either, and after all…anything is better than this past winter, right?

So I headed out on a photographic adventure.  I just drove a bit and thought about what things make me believe that spring is finally here.  Of course the red-winged blackbird arrival signals spring, as does the goldfinch changing from olive drab to brilliant yellow.  But I’ve shown you those before, and I wanted this to be different.

I hadn’t gotten very far along the road when I saw a bit of yellow green far off among the still leafless hardwoods.  And I knew.  Spring can sneak up on a person when they’re fully involved in their lives, commuting to and from work, filling the weekends up with chores.  And then one morning as you’re driving you see a simple willow tree turning yellow green long before the rest of the trees bud out.  And there it is.  Spring.

So this morning I headed out to a local park, hoping I’d find what I was looking for; the brilliant green of hope set against the dark trunks of tall trees still hanging onto winter.

It wasn’t long until I rounded a corner and found it.

I spent a wonderful few minutes just enjoying the quiet and the water and the green.  Then I explored deeper into the woods and found more hints of spring.

But that’s another post.