New Leaves

I'm a little late with these pictures, but not by much. A few posts ago I showed you some blurry photos of this very same tree branch with some new leaf buds on it. What? You don't see the branch? That's because the big ol' leaves are in the way!

That's right! we have leaves on our trees around here now. That means we're special. Or it could mean that it really is spring now. The horrible heat wave we're having could be another clue to that. Luckily, the heat wave is just now ending.

These leaves made it through pretty well though. I was able to get some much better pictures too, once the camera had something to actually focus on. I probably could have zoomed in a bit closer, but I'm pretty satisfied with what I have here.

Now this is the part where I would usually tell you how I stalked and snuck up on the subject of my pictures, but I have to say that it just wasn't very difficult this time. I really did try. I crept around the tree, stuck my head out to see if they would run, and then eased out into the open.

Nothing. No movement at all. They just don't seem very afraid of me. Oh sure, the branches rocked back and forth in the wind just a little bit. But that's not what I would call a reaction. Maybe I'm just losing my touch.

Now that I think of it, I don't really remember any trees or plants shaking their branches in panic and running around in fear. Ever. So maybe I haven't lost my touch at all. Honestly, I didn't even know I had a touch until now. I guess we learn something new every day.

There's a bit less going on in the background of this last picture. That makes it a bit easier to see the leaves. I like how they have a lot of red in them. These new leaves are also quite a bit shinier than they will be as they grow. I never really paid much attention to those little details until now.

I haven't been out to take a close look at these leaves for a few days now. Maybe they look different. Maybe the red part has already turned green. Maybe some of the shine has been lost already. I'm sure there are some differences, especially after a day and a half of rain.

So it's back out to get more pictures for me, not just leaves. So I'll be back next time with something new and exciting. Talk to you later.