The Colors Of Spring

Spring arrives and with it a broad spectrum of colors replaces the drab grays and browns that predominate after the brilliant colors of autumn leave as the leaves fall. For months the only relief from those grays and browns are the greens of evergreen shrubs and the scattered conifers and the white of winter’s snow.

But spring arrives as tree and shrub leaves emerge from the buds where they have spent the winter covering the landscape with a broad array of greens.

Along with the greens of the leaves come a variety of wildflowers – some of those wildflowers actually bloom before tree leaves fully expand. Among the earliest wildflowers are the marsh marigolds growing in the wetlands –

But many bloom after the trees’ leaves are larger or even full size. Wild geranium –

And Yellow Lady’s-slipper

Pink Lady’s-slipper -

And many, many other wildflowers – including invasive exotics, some, like these dame’s rocket and wild mustard are quite beautiful –

The flowers attract another group bearing spring colors, insects - like this spicebush swallowtail feeding on dame’s rocket –

And the eastern tailed-blue

And this colorful little butterfly –

There are too many similarly colored butterflies for me to identify it from a photograph, so I just have to enjoy the sight.