Rhododendron
11th May 2017
Rhododendron - May 2017
Since photographing the first flower buds of this Rhododendron bush in dad's garden before November last year, they have finally seen fit to open, and it was definitely worth the wait.
You may remember last week I posted a picture of the dark red flower buds? If you did remember, I bet you didn't believe me when I told you that the flowers would be bright pink.
Buds and Blooms - May 2017
Just in case you think the flower is from a different Rhododendron bush, here's a shot of the buds and blooms on the same bush!
White Azalea - May 2017
There were a few more new flowers to photograph in dad's garden this week, and this Azalea had to be one of my favourites. This bush actually used to live in a pot in my own garden, but became old, woody, and stopped flowering. After transplanting it into dad's garden, it has had a new lease of life, and this is the first time it has flowered in a couple of years.
Dropping Geranium - May 2017
The Geraniums were just starting to put on a good show in the border...
Aquilegia Arrival - May 2017
...and that Aquilegia I talked about last week has finally come out from beneath her bonnet.
Plethora of Pyracantha - May 2017
There are also plenty of potential blooms in store for the coming weeks. All of the Firethorn (Pyracantha) bushes were covered in thousands of flower buds. It looked like it was going to be a bumper year for them.
Horde of Hydrangea - May 2017
The Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) were also loaded with buds...
Single Oxeye - May 2017
...while self seeded Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) flower buds were popping up all over the place.
Virginia Creeping - May 2017
Also on the march was the Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), which was nothing more than a few twigs a few weeks ago, and was now looking rather nice covering a couple of walls.
Fading Cherry - May 2017
A few things were on their way out for another year. The Cherry Tree (Prunus) blossom was here only fleetingly, but was beautiful nonetheless.
Royal Inner Sanctum - May 2017
The last of the Tulips (Tulipa) was Queen of the Night, and in my mind, she was revealing her best colours as the petals dropped away.
Tiny Treasure Troves - May 2017
The Cononeaster flowers continued to cover the bushes, and worked their magic on a multitude of insects...
Honey Bee Harvest - May 2017
...like the Honey Bees (Apis). I finally managed to get one in focus this week after a couple of weeks of abject failure!
Honey Bee Ascent - May 2017
The Honey Bees were also very interested in the Forget me Nots (Myosotis), with this individual acting like a mountaineer as he scaled each stalk, searching for pollen.
Hoverfly - May 2017
The Hoverflies (Diptera) must have needed to warm up more before heading off in search of pollen, as most of them were resting on leaves in sunny spots like this one...
Hairy Fly - May 2017
...as were the Flesh Flies (Sarcophaga carnaria)...
Treading Softly - May 2017
...while other smaller Fly species preferred a softer place to wait!
While I'm showing you images of insects, you may be interested to read my tutorial. Entitled Insect Safari, it explains the equipment and techniques I use to locate and photograph insects. Why not click on the link to check it out?
Unfortunately, I haven't had time to get out and shoot anything new in my own garden this week, so I'll make sure I find some interesting stuff to include next week.
So, this week I chose Rhododendron as my Image of the Week, simply because I thought it made an interesting story how the dark red flower buds turned into bright pink flowers...