These were all taken in the Graves Creek campground in the Olympic National Forest, at the end of the South Shore Quinault Road, where the East Fork Quinault trail begins. There was still a little bit of snow here and there along the road, but it was definitely starting to look like spring. It’s pretty amazing how the moss covers so much of the trees and ground… but that’s what happens in a rain forest.
At Fort Worden State Park there is a small garden of rhododendrons. The first ones are in bloom in mid-March and they continue through the spring. It’s nice to be able to visit and see some signs that the more monochrome winter is actually being replaced by springtime colors.
As a photographer, I wished that I had been able to isolate the red rose hips of these Sitka rode bushes … but it was nice to have a sunny day, and if it meant that I had to deal with sunlight on background, I couldn’t complain too much.
I spotted this red splash of Oregon Grape in the middle of a patch of Salal. Two of the typical natural ground covers in the Pacific Northwest.
I thought this flash of red from a small vine maple was a nice counterpoint to the greens and greys.