Glorious Green

Local geographical and garden delights caught on camera

After writing about wonderful, sunny Yellow, I've decided to continue a photographic colour theme, this time showcasing green.

From Absinthe to Zombie, there are 295 shades of green, according to Simplicable.com. It has long been a favourite colour of mine, simply because the colour exudes life and vitality.

I may not be the rock or the sea that Chris Martin from Coldplay alludes to in their track, Green Eyes, from the 2002 album 'A Rush Of Blood to the Head,' but I am one of the 2% of people with green eyes.

The colour represents ecological initiatives to keep our planet off destructive pathways, gives us the all-clear to proceed at traffic lights and symbolizes everything Irish.

It alludes to luck but is also associated with immaturity, greed and envy.

Living in the northern hemisphere, our lives are deprived of greenery for six months of the year. Unless Evergreen, plants are stripped bare in preparation for nature's climactic onslaught. Snowflakes burden branches and smother surfaces. The grass isn't always green here — or on the other side, as the famous metaphor goes.

Spring and Summer are welcomed with open arms. Although short-lived, it's incredible how quickly everything comes to life. To celebrate new beginnings and hot summer days, here are some photographs highlighting the beauty of the colour green.

This is what a sunflower looks like before its delicious sunny face bursts.

I love this photo because of the delicate hairs on each leaf and the interesting fore and backgrounds; two different types of fences with their diagonal and vertical lines are nicely blurred, and a dollop of the sky and red-brick building adds an extra element.

Of course, I never saw any of that when snapping!

I have photographed this scene in all four seasons. It is at the local park, a five-minute walk from my apartment.

Autumn is when it is at its most stunning, but this shot certainly exudes tranquillity. I think I've only sat on the park bench once — always on a mission to walk and take photos!

When my English friends were here, we ventured an hour north to Morin Heights and wandered the main thoroughfare — which amounted to 100 metres of road and a few restaurants. We stopped and ate at one of them and were thrilled to discover a huge yard behind the premises that led to this charming stream.

The next stop with my visitors was to a cottage we used to hang out in each summer. There were a bunch of these wild Lupin seed pods lining the driveway.

Although Lupins are more spectacular in full bloom, I was taken by their delicate hairy pods and those lush grassy weeds surrounding them.

My Seek App declared these 'nodules' on a vine to be a mite called Aculus tetanothrix. I was intrigued with their colouring and how they completely bent the vine leaf out of shape.

Although the ladybug caught my eye, I love this photo for how it highlights the jagged edges and veins of a leaf.

And she is not a ladybug; she's an imposter Asian Lady Beetle. They love to eat harvest crops, not just aphids and plant pests, making them a problem!

They also congregate en masse inside, causing royal havoc. En plus, they nip! Here is a lovely article on ways to attract the authentic ladybug and how to manage those darned fake ones.

I could've sworn these were zucchinis, but that trusty Seek App is telling me they're cucumbers. Why did it never occur to me that those delicious summer vege were part of the gourd family?

This photo was taken the same day in the same spot I noticed strange branches…

To end, here is my favourite shot; green tomatoes!

They will always remind me of my mum and her wonderful green tomato relish.

The pic was taken with my Nikon Coolpix L310, which I rarely use but always love the results. These gems were growing in my cottage friend's garden.

For the record, the lead photo of grapes is from my chef friend's garden in Hudson — with my iPhone. Love the convenience of it, considering the quality of pictures it takes.

But…

I want a garden!!

Thanks to JoAnn Ryan and In Living Color for publishing my second photographic story.

All photographs were taken by the author on an iPhone 11 unless otherwise indicated and cannot be reproduced without permission.