Aconites and Other Spring Flowers Girton

It is several years since I walked around Girton College grounds so today I decided to explore the perimeter path and was rewarded with some impressive spring flowers - the aconites and snowdrops in full bloom while daffodils and crocuses are now opening. Very different to my first February in Cambridge where the grounds were frozen or under snow from Boxing Day till March 6th.

Leicester University Botanic Gardens

After giving a talk to the Friends of the BG, I took a walk round the gardens to see what was in bloom. Here are a few incluidng Fritillarias, Snowflake, Azaleas, Camelias and Hellebores

Cambridge contrast

 Amazing blue sky all day so Cambridge was looking at its best with spring flowers and new leaves. All taken with RX100 (welcome to the club Barry) which performs particularly well under these bright conditions as with most compacts. The top two make use of the high contrast. I then set the camera to 6-stop HDR - these are handheld and again in bright conditions there is enough shutterspeed to cope (left is the middle exposure that the camera saves along with the HDR image). Very impressive performance. Not so good where there is a figure moving as there is ghosting.

Spring Markers 2013

Each year I record what is out in the garden on around 21-22nd March but that proved a bit difficult this year as there was several inches of snow. It has melted mainly now though still present in the shelter of hedges etc, Difficult to record what isn't out but compared with previous years the daffodils and Forsythia are in bud,  there are no flowers yet on the Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Japonica or Red Nettle so it is definitely as late spring!!

Bicton in Colour