Spring Blooms (and Hummingbird)
I took this today at about 6pm when I got home from work. It was a spontaneous "let's try this out" when I got out of the car as I heard and saw the hummingbird. I took it from my front patio at my house.
I kept going back and forth on this. While I wish I had a camera/lens capable of faster shutter speeds in our cloudy weather today (Canon R50 + RF 100-400 @ 400mm). The composition kinda works for me when I think about it.
The tree is "Fort McNair Horsechestnut" https://bowerandbranch.com/products/fort-mcnair-horsechestnut
I purchased it from Fort Collins Nursery in ~2022 when my ~60 year old crabapple got pancaked by that heavy April snowstorm in 2021.
Quite literally from their website:
>Ruby-throated hummingbirds have just returned from their winter homes in Central America when Fort McNair Horse Chestnut (or "Horsechestnut") blooms, and along with honeybees and other pollinators, they eagerly drink up. This remarkable medium-sized ornamental tree sends up scores of big, cone-shaped flower clusters that look like bouquets of orchids.
It felt like spring and I thought I would share.
Late edit: Thank you to everyone who volunteered and/or purchased plants from the Gardens At Spring Creek plant sale. It's always a fun event to volunteer for and I appreciate everyone in this community that supports a very unique place and vital resource that a city of our size is able to have.