Mountain Views

You know how it is when you have something in your life that has always been there; something you see so much it fades into the fabric of a scene. You can take it for granted and even if it is something special and wonderful, you somehow never get around to photographing it. I was reminded of one of mine when I went back to NH in June –

Oh Mountain Laurel. How I miss you.

Kalmia latifolia is the scientific name and it’s part of the heath/heather family that also includes azalea, blueberry, rhodora and rhododendron. Because New England is pretty rich with all of these species, I kind of ignored them a lot of the time. After a few months of exploring Wisconsin I realized that they just don’t grow up here much at all. Oh sure maybe a few stray rhodora bushes in a bog, but no Sheep laurel, Great laurel or any kind of laurel. Bummer.

So when I got onto the trail at the Florence Tarr Nature Preserve I was totally thrilled to see so much Mountain laurel still blooming. Seriously, I’ve never seen this much in my life. The profusion was intense – acres of the stuff reaching into the trail and off into the woods as far as the eye can see. It was amazing and I felt so privileged to arrive, while not at peak bloom, during a time with enough flowers to show dramatically. They really do dominate the forest in this part of the preserve.

Almost everywhere I looked there was something stunning to stop me in my tracks. The pale pink flowers against the deep green, made deeper by rain that kept coming in in waves, is a woodland photographer’s dream. It was such a glorious landscape that I kept stopping to put together another lush composition. It was overcast and wet so while the light was rather low most of the time, it made for great atmosphere and very rich color. In processing I tried to preserve this feeling of low light, wet leaves and mysterious curves.

I didn’t get very far down the trail because it was overwhelming and magical, and also because I could see more rain approaching on the weather app and needed to be near enough to the car to not get soaked. Even though I still haven’t explored all of this amazing place, these conditions meant I could slow down and really soak in the presence these beautiful shrubs have in the landscape.

Because I was traveling with a very minimal kit, I didn’t concentrate on many close shots. Having no tripod and no flash limited what I could shoot and when. Here’s two lovely groups of flowers with a bit of sunlight breaking through to them. I ended up stacking two photos with each one having a cluster of blossoms focused crisply. I was drawn to those, but also the way they seem cradled in ferns that act as a beautiful frame. Maybe they add some depth as well.

But oh, the call of the trail. I made a ton of photos on this day – everything from landscapes like these to hand-on-the-ground close ups of newts and other tiny things. I even found an absolutely immense dead tree slightly off trail that will be getting its own post later on.

So yeah, it took separation and absence to make me appreciate these shade-loving beauties and maybe I’ll time another visit back to correspond with their peak blooming. And maybe the weather will give me the leisure to walk more of the trails and see the other amazing features of this preserve. But still, I really had a great time dodging rain showers and re-connecting with a presence I have missed in the woods since leaving NH.