The air was still today. A very welcome respite from the whipping wind of the past few days. The warmish spring weather and bright sunshine called to me. My camera and I roamed looking for ephemerals making their appearance, and I returned with many images to add to my stash.

One discovery, Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica). At this point in their short lives I find they are not showing their exceptional blue, but glorious purple and brilliant pink.

The exceptional blue I mention in the Virginia Bluebell is something special since only 10% of the world’s 280,000 flowering plant species have blooms that are truly blue. For those of us that are lovers of the color blue, that makes this one a special flower.