Virginia Bluebell Flower Buds

Virginia Bluebells, April 18, 2005
Here are some Virginia Bluebell flower buds, somewhat early in their blooming season. The buds start off looking quite pinkish in color, and get more and more purple-blue as they develop and get larger. Eventually, the bluish flowers open up into a "bell" shape, hence the name bluebell. During 2005, this happened toward the last week of April and first week of May. I don't have a recent photo showing the more mature flower, but you can probably find a picture in some kind of field guide. I did get some photographs of mature bluebells about 8 years ago at Bowman's Wildflower Preserve in eastern Pennsylvania. This year, the timing was not convienent for me, partly because I was getting ready for my trip to Utah (see Claret Cup, below).
The lighting for this photo is a little bit too harsh. The contrast is a little bit too high. Ideally, the highlights on the flower petals would be a little more subdued, so they would appear a little "softer" and richer in color. Similarly, the shade would be just a tiny bit less dark. Still, I like the general composition (arrangment of the flowers) of this photo, so I decided to post it here.
This flower can be found in the woods, but is often also grown in gardens. It can grow among the grass blades during the spring, and by the time the lawn is ready to be mowed, the flowers are typically done.