Virginia Bluebells (long post)

[Pa]

Today I went with my wife to scout out the Virginia Bluebells that bloom annually at this time along the banks of the South Fork of the Roanoke River near Shawsville, Virginia. She has been going there for several years, and takes her hiking group each year.

To set the scene, they bloom along the river which runs at the base of the mountain:

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In the past, we wandered down along the stream to get views of banks of wildflowers like this one from last year:

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But this year, there is a new problem:

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I had debated about which lens to take, but under the circumstances, my newly-acquired 70-300VR was just the ticket:

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And there were a few Dutchman's Breeches in bloom:

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And we didn't TRESPASS.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

 

[dmwphoto]

Jim,
The last two images are gorgeous! I may need to make a run down to visit you both for a tour of these.

 

[TOLady]

So pretty! I've never seen bluebells - what a pretty flower!

 

[Gale]

Well the first thing you tear off the signs. ummm take a screw driver and get rid of the nails to..
Very very pretty flowers. Did you carry all the lenses in the wheel barrow.:>)))

 

[Pa]

Jim,
The last two images are gorgeous! I may need to make a run down to visit you both for a tour of these.

Be glad to have you Dave, but you'd better come soon. They don't last long.

 

[Pa]

So pretty! I've never seen bluebells - what a pretty flower!

Thanks, Sandi. You need to come to Virginia!

My wife, who is a wildflower enthusiast, says that bluebells occur in many places in the world, but the Virginia variety is unique (Mertensia virginica). There are also Southern Harebells, Western Cathedral Bells, and others. My wife's friend from Ontario calls the the local flowers "cowslips".

 

[Pa]

Well the first thing you tear off the signs. ummm take a screw driver and get rid of the nails to..
Very very pretty flowers. Did you carry all the lenses in the wheel barrow.:>)))

Gale, I took the 50/1.8 and 35/2.0 and was planning to use just those. But the 70-300VR was already mounted on the D200 so I left it there in case we saw some interesting critters. In the end, it never came off!

 

[Doug]

looks like the sign was there last year too, just an older one. Have you ever thought about being direct and asking?

tell him if he doesn't let you come to photograph, you'll turn it into the Govt for consideration as a protected habitat. lol.

 

[Pa]

Have you ever thought about being direct and asking?

Well that's a novel suggestion!:wink:

Seriously, this seems to be an absentee landowner. It would take a bit of sleuthing to find out who owns it, I think.

 

[dmwphoto]

Be glad to have you Dave, but you'd better come soon. They don't last long.

does not look good this weekend for weather, how long will they be around? I can imagine this is a small window of opportunity. Thanks for the welcome.
dave

 

[Pa]

Dave, my wife took her hiking group there today. She said the bluebells still are at their prime, but the Dutchman's Breeches are fading. The bluebells certainly won't last until next weekend, but maybe a few more days.


The wildflower expert is out this evening but I'll get her opinion when she returns.

 

[Pa]

She says: with our current cool weather they will probably last a bit longer, certainly until the middle of next week, and perhaps a few until next weekend.

You're certainly right that the weather does NOT look good for this weekend!

 

[dmwphoto]

Thanks for the info Jim. I will keep an eye out for opportunity and get in touch if one arises.