I always like to capture some of the first bloom of the year. Here in California I can do this in mid-February :-).

I will start with this beautiful old tree that is in the parking area outside of the church building in Dublin.

It is so nice to see the blossoms blooming on this stately old tree. The white blossoms contrast so well with the blue sky.

In this picture I zoomed in on some of the upper branches of the tree. If you look at the picture above you will see that I am zooming in from quite a distance. Here you can also see the pink in the blossoms and also if you look very carefully in the blossom closest to the center there is a bee that is already busily pollinating the blossoms.

Next I have some little Narcissus.

This picture was taken in the Dublin Pioneer Cemetery which is part of the Dublin Heritage Park. I really like the way this picture turned out with the blooms in focus and the stems and background out of focus. You can also see a second set of blooms in the background on the left of the picture. I just could not crop them out of the picture. They looked so interesting.

Next, I had to go take pictures of the first Daffodils of the season.

I like Daffodils (Narcissus jonquilla) as they are usually one of the first flowers to bloom each year. You can see another picture of Daffodils by clicking on: Heritage Flowers

I love the contrast between the yellow and green and how the bottom one is crisp in the shadow and the top one is starting to get lost in the sun.

Here you can see the pistil and stamen and a small mound of pollen in the corona of the bloom.

To me Daffodils are always one of the signs that spring is just around the corner.

The last picture that I will share today is just outside my yard.

I always enjoy watching my neighbors tree bloom every year. The blossoms are so pretty and I really like the beautiful pink color. At the moment the blossoms are only on a few branches, but within a few days it will be a riot of color.

I hope you enjoy these first blooms of the year.

Steven

p.s. My next Walls of Jericho post will come in the next few days.